Artichokes are such a delicacy but because they contain so many inedible parts, they can be downright daunting. If you love the taste and want to learn how to cut, cook, and eat them with ease, welcome! Today is the day you master the artichoke.
Let me start by saying that I am especially glad you are here. My favorite recipes involve some sort of challenge and the ability to be creative beyond cooking101. I KNOW that if you are reading this, you likely are a frayed apron cook in your own right. I see you!
I covet an artichoke. We never had them growing up.
This weekend, my sense of accomplishment came from teaching my son how to eat his first artichoke. He loved it! Even my husband, who is never excited about artichokes, raved “these are the best!” His apathy for them comes from thinking of them as steamed and lifeless.
All of this is to say, clean your chokes, stuff and roast them and people will think of you as an artichoke angel. Definitely plan on at least an entire artichoke per person. It’s hard to share that prized heart!
How to Pick Them
You want to choose artichokes that are heavy for their size and don’t have many brown spots.
The leaves should be firm and plump and not dry or shriveled looking.
For stuffing, look for artichokes that have opened up a bit more around the petals (as opposed to the really compact flowers). When buying an artichoke, always buy a lemon, too, because you will use the acidity to prevent oxidation.
Hands down, my favorite way to treat an artichoke is to steam it, grill it over a wood fire, then pluck the leaves off and dip in a combination of flaked salt, lemon, and olive oil. That said, there is no one right way to cook an artichoke. It’s a phenomenal ingredient and there are countless ways to enjoy them – some simple, some complex. Feel free to share your favorite preparation, too.
Gather Your Ingredients:
Today, we will be steaming, then stuffing and roasting whole artichokes with the usual players: breadcrumbs, olive oil, and garlic but also some pairings that you might not expect: capers, roasted bell peppers, and a citrusy vinaigrette.
When you sink into this artichoke, you will get earthy and briny tastes amplified by acidity (so not quite as rich as a dairy-based recipe). This is a pretty refreshing spring dish with lots of whole foods ingredients.
Would you look at that?
These are so gosh darn pretty. They make for a lovely appetizer for a family brunch. Honestly, I think they’d make a fabulous vegetarian centerpiece. Regardless of how you serve them, you can’t go wrong with an artichoke.
You can even make these gluten-free if you use gluten-free breadcrumbs, making this recipe:
- Dairy Free
- Gluten-Free
- Vegan
- Nut Free
Visual Tutorial on How to Prepare Fresh Artichokes
Ingredient Tip: Did you know that cut artichokes oxidize and turn black? To prevent them from turning colors, you simply place them in a bowl of acidulated water (water with lemon juice usually) or just rub your halved lemon directly on the artichoke where you cut it open.
How to Cut
It’s probably safest to use a serrated knife to trim the top portion of the artichoke but I almost always use a really sharp chef’s knife.
Other nice things to have are a pair of kitchen shears for removing the pointy end of petals (about ¼ of the way down allows the petals to sit flat). While you can remove the fuzz while the artichoke is raw. It’s quite a bit simpler to do this step after the artichokes have been steamed.
Steam (Don’t Boil)
A steamer basket is key and will enable you to keep the artichokes above the boiling water. Steaming with a spritz or two of fresh lemon juice maintains the color and flavor of the artichokes as they cook.
Cooking Tip: If your steamer basket sits very low, you may need to add additional water halfway through as you really don’t want the artichokes submerged. Boiling will zap your artichokes of their flavor.
After the artichokes have cooled, you can remove the inedible center (so, just remove the fuzzy portion) with a spoon. This will vastly improve the eating experience.
Why Bother Roasting?
While you can eat freshly steamed artichokes, we are using a breadcrumb-based stuffing and we want to get the breadcrumbs slightly golden brown and crispy. Roasting also intensifies the flavor of each ingredient and allows everything to come together.
How to Cook Stuffed Artichokes
Really fill the heck out of your artichokes then roast them until you see the breadcrumbs brown in spots. This could take 15 minutes or longer.
How to Eat
You pull the leaves off one-by-one and bite down pulling and scraping the remove “the meat.” You can use a fork to enjoy little bites of the breadcrumb center, too.
Truly, I was surprised how quickly my 2-year-old figured out how to scrape the leaves with his teeth. He really seemed to get a kick out of this one.
Sometimes a photo (or video) is worth a thousand words. If at any point you’re not understanding an instruction, please check out the images or drop me a comment. I always try to get back to people as quickly as I can.
To reiterate, I love connecting with people who are well on their way through their cooking journey. It means I get to share even more creative recipes (like this one!). Oh, I DO hope you’ll come back:)
Your Curated Recipe Playlist:
- Homemade Pasta
- Rotisserie Chicken How-To with Seasonal Vegetable
- Creamy Rhubarb Lime Sorbet
- Extra Fudgy Gluten-Free Brownies (Dairy Free)
The Frayed Apron is committed to several rounds of testing so that our recipes always work! Here’s the feedback we received from our recipe tester:
Adam Rahman, recipe tester and food photographerStuffed artichokes – No notes really, instructions were straightforward, it was pretty yummy. My family jokes that artichokes are the only food in the world I don’t like but I think you’ve converted me!
STUFFED ARTICHOKES
Equipment
- steamer pot with steamer basket
- Kitchen shears
- Chef’s knife
Ingredients
- 2 approximately 1-pound artichokes, washed and dried
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove minced
- Black pepper
- 2 tablespoons capers drained
- ½ cup roasted red pepper from 1 roasted pepper or from the jar, minced
- 1/2 cup packed baby spinach minced
- 1 cup breadcrumbs such as store bought or homemade (gluten free is ok)
Instructions
- Prepare the artichokes. Use a chef’s knife or serrated knife to cut straight through the top 2-inches of each artichoke and enough off the base to allow the artichoke to sit flatly. Use kitchen scissors or a chef’s knife to discard any tough outer leaves (usually toward the bottom of the artichoke stem-end). Use scissors to cut sharp tips of leaves.
- Steam the artichokes. Fill a pot with a couple inches of water and place a steam rack on top. Set the artichokes, stem-end up on the rack. Drizzle with about ¼ teaspoon acid (lemon juice or red wine vinegar) per artichoke then cover. Simmer over medium low heat until tender, about 40 minutes (more or less time, depending on the size of your artichokes*).
- Make the stuffing. Whisk together the orange juice, red wine vinegar, mustard, olive oil, garlic, and black pepper. Mix in the capers, roasted red pepper, spinach, and breadcrumbs.
- Stuff the artichokes then roast. After steaming, use a pair of tongs to remove the artichokes to cool on a plate. Gently remove just enough of the leaves from the center to reveal the “hairs” or fuzz. Use a spoon to gently scrape away and discard the fuzz to reveal a clean “heart.” Place the artichokes in a baking dish (or casserole dish) heart-side up so that they fit snugly. Use a spoon to pack the center of each choke with plenty of stuffing. Next, drizzle filling between the leaves; tip: using your fingers to spread the leaves will help you get more stuffing in there. Season each artichoke with salt then roast in the oven for 15 minutes or until the breadcrumb stuffing appears golden. Serve and savor each and every bite.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Photography by Adam Rahman
