One of the great pleasures of living in New Orleans, with its heavy Sicilian influence on our cuisine, is the stuffed artichoke. They can be stuffed with seafood and other things, but most people here recognize as the standard the simple bread crumb, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese version, with its heavy emphasis on garlic.
This recipe has been passed down through generations, but the formula is the same. And it is delicious. Everyone’s mom and grandmother tweaked it her special way, but it is hard to find this combination adding up to anything less than familiar and wonderful.
It has to be pretty good to get people to go through the trouble of stuffing all the individual leaves of the artichoke and then to do the hard work of eating them. Pulling leaves out one by one and removing the stuffing by clenching the teeth around each leaf may seem barbaric, but it is well practiced around town.
But what if one wants to only remove the stuffing, and not do the stuffing? Where can an artichoke be purchased that someone else has stuffed? And more important, have they stuffed it in a way our mother or grandmother would approve? (Spoiler alert: Probably not.)
Through the years Tom has declared himself in the snobby group for whom this practice seems unsavory. I, on the other hand, love it all enough for us both. But I remain mostly unsatisfied with any stuffed artichoke other than my own.
Maybe it is this feeling that keeps most restaurants and stores from going against the memory of Grandma or Mom. Most places get them from a third party that specializes in stuffing artichokes as their sole purpose. They are right to be wary. I have tried them all over, and nobody satisfies my taste like the ones I make from the memory of my mom’s kitchen (pictured above.)
I’ve spent so much time talking on The Food Show about my eternal carciofi quest that someone called to mention the one made in-house at Schaefer's Seafood. It was actually very good, though somewhat dark from a sprinkling of paprika on top.
The next one I tried was in a restaurant. DiChristina’s in Covington is owned by a member of the Rocky & Carlo’s family. It came to the table hot, which I like in a restaurant, though I prefer them room temperature. This was a large artichoke spread out with a lot of stuffing. The flavor was almost exactly right, but I was put off by its wetness. It sort of fell apart from moisture.
I wanted to see if the one at Rocky & Carlo’s was identical to this one, but hopefully a little drier. It was indeed identical to the one at DiChristina’s. Delicious, kinda like Mom’s, but too wet for my taste. It also fell apart from intense steaming.
The stuffed artichoke that stood out from all the rest, especially the restaurant ones, was at Sal & Judy’s Restaurant in Lacombe. I had it years ago and was mildly wowed. It too is served warm. A few years ago it was $8.95. Now it’s $14.95, which is the going rate for these stuffed wonders circa 2023.
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Even better than that one though, is the stuffed artichoke at Gendusa's in Kenner. We picked this one up, but even coming out of a styrofoam container, it was very good. Some other restaurants that have stuffed artichokes are Mandeville Seafood, but they use a third party.
And Nonna Randazzo makes her own, but it’s not a contender for anything.
Another really uninteresting version can be found at Harbor Seafood in Kenner. It looks good but is really ordinary. tasting mostly of breadcrumbs.
Acquistapace’s, Supermarket in Covington also uses a third-party company, and it too, is underwhelming. The one at Dorignac’s is noteworthy. They make theirs in-house, and it is pretty darn close to the ideal version, i.e., just like Mom’s.
Stuffed artichokes are a mild obsession with me, so I get one wherever I see it. I’m sure there are plenty of others out there to try, but it’s a safe bet that the exact taste you desire can only be found in the one you make yourself.
