Thistle + Flower + Veg

Artichokes have so many health benefits and taste yummy too. A true super food!

They're a great source of dietary fiber, can reduce cholesterol, are a great source of antioxidants, support healthy digestion because of their bitter quality, are great for the liver, and may help prevent some types of cancer.

Here's a fun recipe you may want to give a whirl. A little time consuming, but the time spent will be well worth it.

This recipe is for 2 artichokes, adjust volumes accordingly. Clean the chokes. Cut the stem down to a healthy bottom, but remember, the stem of artichoke tastes just the heart.. so, you be the judge. You are chef, after all.
Cut the top of the artichoke off essentially removing the inedible thistle-y parts and using scissors trim the additional side pieces removing the pokey parts.

Using a pot properly sized to fit your artichokes, place them into the pot and cover with water and boil until tender medium to medium high heat. Cooking time about 20 minutes.
While that is working, create the mix..

1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs or Panko for a little more crispier texture
1 teaspoon salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper to taste
2 tablespoons lemon zest and a squeeze of half a lemon juice.
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
4 tablespoons or so of olive oil
6 cloves of roasted garlic

Mix together well. I like to use my hands to really incorporate it all together it nicely. Helps break down the roasted garlic and blend it thoroughly. You can fork it or use the processor too. Once it’s all blended add in your choice of nut. Pistachios are delish, but I also like to use almonds or pine nuts. Crush or finely chop your nuts and blend into your mixture. Set this aside. By now your chokes should be ready.

Using tongs, remove the artichokes and place upside down to remove excess water. A colander works nicely for this. Let cool long enough to be able to handle them. Once your ready, using a melon baller or grapefruit spoon you’re going to hollow out the middle of the artichoke. Dig deep and remove the center as little as possible but good enough to get the hairs out that are at the center of the artichoke. Scrape it good, like when you make stuffed mushrooms and removing the gills to replace with stuffing mixture.

Using your hands, gently pull the artichoke leaves away from the center ensuring they remain intact. This creates space in between the flowering leaves. Did you know this ‘artichoke’ we eat is actually what comes of the plant before the flower? Once the artichoke fully blooms, it’s becomes almost inedible because it is, after all, a thistle..

Now that you’ve cleaned the center and opened up the leaves, begin pressing your delicious mixture into those areas until all filled up. Once filled, drizzle with olive oil and crack some pepper on top and place on a bread pan or smaller size baking dish. You wanna use something that will somewhat continue the artichokes so they can stand upright while baking.
After you’ve filled your artichoke& placed them in the pan to bake, add about 1/8 cup lemon juice, 1/2 water and 1/2 whir wine into the bottom of pan — wine and lemon juice optional.
Bake uncovered 350*F for about 40 minutes. Yum!

Enjoy~ Please let me know how your artichokes turn out. I would love to hear your results!