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An inordinate amount of time has been spent on the radio and space on these platforms covering my obsession with finding the perfect stuffed artichoke.
I already know where it is. It is to be found in my kitchen. My mother made a fantastic stuffed artichoke, using cheap ingredients like the Kraft tub of Parmesan and Romano “cheese”, Progresso Italian breadcrumbs, copious amounts of basic olive oil, dried parsley, and a deliciously excessive amount of fresh garlic. We usually ate these, cold, though I like the warm ones too.
I started eating warm stuffed artichokes when I saw them in restaurants with Tom, though even the best of the lot never came close to my mom’s. She wasn’t even Italian, but a Sicilian would be proud. But it wasn't long before I learned that great stuffed artichokes are really hard to find. It is easy to find stuffed artichokes, but not great ones. I also learned that a cottage industry has sprung up making stuffed artichokes to supply to restaurants.
Among my diva questions, as my daughter calls them, is asking if a restaurant is making these in house. I don't need to spend close to $20 now for something I am meh about. That’s how I feel about all the third party artichokes. Rocky & Carlo’s has the best of them, to my taste, followed by DiCristina’s in downtown Covington ( a Rocky & Carlo’s cousin.) My enthusiasm for the DiCristina’s version has cooled because lately they are sending out artichokes in no condition for selling. Sal & Judy’s had the very best but the last one I had was a big disappointment. Honorable mentions go to non-restaurants Dorignac’s and Schaefer’s Seafood.
With all this restaurant artichoke disappointment around, I have been threatening for over a year to just make them myself.
Recently, I did just that. I had two small loaves of dried French bread from one of the Grande Dames. One day at the store, my eyes fell on some decent looking and decently-sized artichokes. I grabbed them. And I got Progresso Italian bread crumbs and resisted the urge to buy expensive Parm, opting instead for the Kraft tub of Parm and Romano cheese already grated. I did get good olive oil and lots of garlic. And a bunch of parsley. My mom used dried but it must be fresh!
I dug out the old Dutch oven I never use now, cleaned it and cut the ends of the leaves about an inch down to remove the stickers. Then I took an enormous bowl and poured 3 cups of bread crumbs, to 2 cups of cheese, mixing this together. I chopped a large handful of fresh parsley and nearly a whole pod of garlic. And I added the stale bread that I had grated into crumbs. I raised the artichoke and flattened the leaves as much as I could, filling in an enormous amount per leaf. The artichoke tripled inside, overloaded with that delicious filling. I really should have placed a single artichoke in the Dutch oven, but I was lazy, squeezing them in together.
Lastly, I filled the bottom with two inches of water. I added some salt & pepper, though it went into the pile of breadcrumbs in the beginning. I drizzled enough olive oil on each of them that they were wet. Then I further wet them with a half cup of water per. A nice single squeeze of a half lemon finished them, and I covered them and didn’t crank up the heat as I usually do. Fast cooking will burn the bottom and ruin them. (Everyone seems to know this but me!) They shouldn’t taste smoky!
None of us had made these in SO long, I had no idea what to expect. They were distinguishable from my Mom’s and that is very high praise. And self-congratulation. Even with just estimating from memory, I nailed it so well.
There will be more. I am not afraid of that memory any longer. I can do it!