Hey.
Do you like making delicious things and looking like a hero?
That’s what I thought. Me too.
Artichokes are the key to everyone’s heart. Pun intended…cause artichokes…and hearts…you get it.
Aaaanyhooters, I filmed this video last year, then I forgot I filmed it. Now it’s been revived, edited, shined, polished, and is ready to be your ultimate “how to prep and make stuffed artichokes” primer.
Every new video with recipe post costs about $500 to generate (groceries, paying my beloved editor) and 30 hours of work time, so if you could be a doll and click the heart on this post and maybe even comment and become a free subscriber, I would be forever appreciative.
Artichokes seem intimidating to the uninitiated, but my darlings, I’m here to promise you that you, too, can make artichokes from the gorgeous green flower you find at the farmer’s market into the delish fiber and nutrient filled delicacy that nature hides under pointy leaves with a pesky center choke.
Artichokes are crowd pleasers for sure. You don’t really hear people turning them down when you place them on the table. They feel indulgent, and yet they're low carb, high in fiber, and fun to tear apart with friends over cocktails. I have a fantastic grill finished artichoke recipe in my second cookbook Eat Happy Too, and a pan fried baby artichokes recipe in Eat Happy Italian, both are to die for recipes.
This recipe for stuffed whole artichokes uses the steaming method to cook the artichokes. If you have large bulbs, the steaming could take awhile. In my video, these took 50-55 minutes. When you see that the leaves are becoming tender and falling off the flower, you know you are ready to go.
I’m a firm believer that every great artichoke recipe needs a great dipping sauce, so please click over to my recipe for One Minute Mayo (which is actually a recipe for the perfect roasted garlic and lemon aioli).
Many thanks to the darling who is Marie Tortorich. She inspired me when she discussed her recipe for traditional stuffed artichokes (that include breadcrumbs for the gluten eaters) with Vinnie and me on the Fitness Confidential podcast, so I adapted my version to be gluten free, low carb, and hopefully just as delicious. Try it and let me know what you think.
Recipe for Stuffed (and steamed) Artichokes is here in PDF format, in the Substack recipe card, and pasted below at the very end of this post.
Note my note about the choke in the recipe itself.
I love you all, please enjoy this classic Italian spring/summer recipe for Stuffed Artichokes.
XOXO
Anna
STUFFED ARTICHOKES
(Serves 4-8)
Note: you can scoop out the inedible center choke of the artichoke while prepping the artichoke if it’s tender enough to do so, or you can cut the cooked artichokes in half before serving and scoop out the choke or just starting eating the leaves and when you get to the choke, cut it out (this is my method).
4 artichokes, pointy ends trimmed, and pulled open as much as possible
3/4 cup almond flour or crushed pork rinds
1 tablespoon BBQ Dust, or your favorite BBQ seasoning
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
1 lemon, zested, then cut in half
Salt and pepper
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
Prepare the artichokes: trim off and discard the pointy ends with scissors, chop off the top with a knife. Pull open each artichoke as best as possible as you will put the stuffing in there. Squeeze one half of the lemon over the artichokes to keep them from oxidizing while prepping the stuffing.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, BBQ Dust, parsley, the lemon zest, salt and pepper, minced garlic, and olive oil into a paste. Season the artichokes well with salt and pepper. Press the stuffing into each artichoke, getting some of stuffing down between the leaves, and leaving some on the top like a dome of stuffing.
Put 2 inches of water with 2 teaspoons of salt in a large braising pot, Le Creuset, or Dutch oven, squeeze the juice of the second half of the lemon into the water, and drop the lemon carcass into the water. Gently place the artichokes into the pot so that they don’t tip over. Bring the water to a boil, cover, and let steam in the pot for 50-55 minutes, or until the artichoke is fork tender and the leaves peel off easily.
Remove the artichokes from the water and let them drain and cool on a paper towel lined plate for 5-10 minutes. Garnish the artichokes with more fresh parsley, plate them on a serving platter along with Lemon Garlic Aioli or the dipping sauce of your choice, and serve to the thronging masses.
