An authentic Italian recipe from our kitchen to yours. Buon
Appetito!
Ingredients
- 4 medium whole artichokes
- 8 ounces fresh ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided
- 2 packed tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
- Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
- 1/3 cup bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Directions
1.
Preheat
your
oven
to
400
degrees.
Fill
a
pot
with
water
and
add
the
lemon
juice.
Bring
the
water
to a
rolling
boil
and
then
lower
the
heat
to
medium.
2.
While
waiting
for
the
water
in
the
pot
to
come
to a
boil,
clean
and
prep
the
artichokes
by
first
rinsing
them
and
then
cutting
off
the
pointed
top
of
each
of
the
artichokes.
Then
remove
the
bottom
2 to
3
rows
of
tough
outer
leaves
from
the
artichokes.
Using
kitchen
shears,
cut
the
tips
off
any
whole
leaves
that
remain.
3.
Cut
the
stem
off
of
the
bottom
of
the
artichokes
to
make
a
flat
surface
in
order
to
set
the
artichokes
upright
in
your
baking
dish.
Next,
hollow
out
the
center
of
the
artichokes
with
a
spoon
so
that
they
look
like
bowls.
Be
sure
to
remove
all
of
the
fine
hairs
or
"choke"
at
the
center
of
each
artichoke.
4.
When
the
water
reaches
a
boil,
add
the
prepared
artichokes
to
the
pot
and
lower
the
heat
to
medium-high.
Boil
the
artichokes
for
about
8 -
10
minutes
or
until
they
have
softened
but
maintain
their
shape.
5.
While
the
artichokes
are
boiling,
in a
mixing
bowl,
combine
the
ricotta
cheese,
parsley,
lemon
zest,
1/4
cup
of
the
grated
Parmigiano
and
a
generous
pinch
of
salt
and
pepper.
Mix
all
of
the
ingredients
well
so
that
they
are
combined.
6.
In
an
oven
safe
baking
dish,
add
the
olive
oil
and
2
tablespoons
of
water.
Cut
the
garlic
cloves
into
halves
or
quarters
and
add
them
to
the
dish.
7.
Once
the
artichokes
have
finished
boiling,
remove
them
from
the
pot,
draining
off
any
excess
water,
and
set
them
on a
plate.
8.
Place
the
bread
crumbs
into
a
separate
mixing
bowl
and
add
the
remaining
Parmigiano.
Toss
the
ingredients
to
mix
them
thoroughly.
9.
Just
before
stuffing
the
artichokes,
drizzle
each
of
them
with
a
small
amount
of
olive
oil.
Then
proceed
to
spoon
the
ricotta
mixture
into
each
of
the
artichokes.
10.
After
stuffing
them,
thoroughly
coat
the
tops
of
the
stuffed
artichokes
with
the
bread
crumb
and
Parmigiano
mixture.
11.
Then
place
each
of
the
artichokes
into
the
baking
dish.
Cover
the
dish
with
foil
and
place
the
dish
on
the
center
rack
in
the
oven.
Bake
the
artichokes
covered
for
15 -
20
minutes.
Then
remove
the
foil
and
finish
baking
the
artichokes
for
another
10 -
15
minutes
or
until
the
bread
crumb
mixture
turns
a
golden
brown
on
top.
12.
Remove
the
artichokes
from
the
oven
and
let
them
cool
for
about
5
minutes
prior
to
serving.
