Gilda's Stuffed Artichokes

Carciofi Ripieni di Gilda
One of my all-time favorite vegetables is the artichoke, so misunderstood by so many. All bias aside, most of the laments come from the English-speaking world. Most of American eating tradition comes from the English who don’t have a very good culinary reputation. Food items requiring a bit of patience and time are usually not welcome at Anglo tables. No offense intended to Anglos, I hope this recipe will change your mind about eating this delicious vegetable – so ancient and unique – and have it become a regular in your diet. There are many ways of eating artichokes, but here we’ll focus on Gilda’s stuffed gems. The first thing you want to do is find good artichokes – they come in different sizes, but for her recipe you need large ones, about 1½ times the size of your fist. Aside from the right size, you need to examine its freshness – look out for discolored leaves – they should be a distinct olive green and have no blemishes. Feel the stem at the bottom of the head – it should be firm to the touch; if it’s pliable, it’s been sitting too long, and the vendor should just make a gift of it to you!
Once you have found the right sized artichokes, you are ready to start your gastronomic adventure and become an official gourmand and gourmet.
The first thing you need to do is prepare the artichoke. First, get a sharp chef’s knife and trim the crown of the vegetable. You trim off about ½ to ¾ of an inch from the top so that the pointy ends of the leaves are gone. Be careful, the points are sharp – hold your hand flat on the vegetable without moving it, and with the other, cut. Then, look at the outside leaves – the ones on the outer edge towards the bottom – remove them – they are too small to do anything with. You might have 3 or 4 leaves like that at most. Oh, and one other thing – if there are any leaves that still have pointy ends, get your kitchen scissors and snip off the points on those remaining leaves.
For the last item of trimming, you need to cut the protruding stem off the vegetable at the base of the head. You cut enough so that the artichoke head will stand on its own. Now you have completed the trimming part. Save all your trimmed artichoke parts – put them in a plastic bag with your other vegetable refuse (carrot skins, broccoli stalks, celery parts, etc.) and store in freezer – they make excellent vegetable broth!
The next step is to stretch your artichokes. To stretch them, take your fingers and work them from the interior of the artichoke pushing out. When you do this to the artichoke, you are opening the spaces between the leaves – that is where your stuffing is going to go. Go all around the artichoke stretching the leaves – push your fingers in and then push out (See the small picture of the artichoke being stretched).
Now you’re in business, and the rest is child’s play. The Zeoli family loves its carciofi (the Italian for artichokes), and we were lucky to have had such delicious food growing up. When I think of what so many Americans eat on the run, I feel pity for their taste buds!
Ingredients for 2:
2 large artichokes, cleaned, trimmed, and stretched
1½ c grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1½ c bread crumbs from old Italian bread (you can use panko or commercial plain Italian bread crumbs)
2 T dried parsley or a handful of fresh, chopped fine
6 toes of garlic, cut into small chunks
¼ t ground pepper (optional)
1 t sea salt
Aged balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Preparation:
Mix together in bowl the Parmigiano Reggiano, bread crumbs, salt, [pepper], parsley, and garlic. Then, take some olive oil and drizzle a small amount into the artichokes, from the top – I’d say no more than 2 t for each one.
Using your hands, take some of the stuffing mixture and place inside the artichokes, making sure that all crevices are being filled in with all that good stuffing mixture. Don’t be shy – fill in as much as possible – keep pushing down with your fingers – you are developing your manual skills! Do this until all the stuffing is where it belongs – inside those beautiful ‘chokes. When stuffing them, I’d advise having a plate underneath to capture the stuffing that falls out. Just put it back in if a little falls out – that’s to be expected.
Once stuffed, get a pot large enough to hold your artichokes. Place them in the pot, standing up. Fill pot with just enough water to come halfway up the artichokes. You can add a teaspoon of salt to the water. Put a lid on the pot and bring to a boil at medium-high flame. As soon as its starts to boil, lower to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 45 minutes – the aromas will permeate through the house. When they’re done, they look relaxed and are a lighter green in appearance. Shut flame off and remove from stove. Let them rest with the lid on for 10 minutes.
Remove lid and with a spoon take a little of the broth and drizzle over the tops of artichokes. Take the artichokes out of pot and place each one in a serving dish. Drizzle a little olive oil over each one; then, get some good, aged balsamic (not the cheap one – the one that is more expensive and aged longer) and give each one an ever-so-quick drizzle.
Serve it, making sure to provide your guest with an empty plate for the leaves and artichoke hair. Also provide a dipping dish containing a little aged balsamic vinegar.
How to Eat Artichokes
Eating Gilda’s gems is an art. The fact that you got this far in the recipe tells me you’re a serious eater. That’s a good thing when it comes to these lovely vegetables.
First, you are going to approach the outer leaves and work your way to the interior, leaf by leaf. Take a leaf; dip it into aged balsamic (if desired), and then place it in your mouth, scraping the delicious stuffing with your front teeth and then withdrawing the leaf. Keep in mind that the base of each leaf contains “artichoke meat” which can be scraped with your front teeth as well. Once you’re done with a leaf, place it in the empty plate provided. Do this for all leaves until you get to a part that can no longer be scraped – these are the small leaves surrounding the hair. Of course eat the stuffing surrounding them. Remove these small leaves with your fingers and place them in discard bowl with the other leaves.
Now you’re left with the hair of the artichoke. With a teaspoon, or better yet a grapefruit spoon (it has a serrated edge), remove the hair, starting from an outer edge. Position the spoon in between the hair and the head, and lift off the hair. It will come off in chunks. When all is removed, you’re left with the artichoke head. That is the true “pearl.” This part is eaten in its entirety – it is the “filet mignon” of the artichoke. Cut it into bite-sized pieces with your fork and knife – it should be very tender. Dip it into a little aged balsamic or olive oil, and you will enter heaven. It has a natural sweetness, and leaves your mouth with such a pleasant taste. It is your gastronomic reward on a job well-done.

A Final Note:

This dish is one that takes me right back to childhood - my grandmother Adelina taught me how to eat it - I was about 6 or 7 years old at the time. Whenever I see an artichoke, I get transported down memory lane. At first eating artichokes was a little intimidating and frustrating, so I can understand how you might feel if you haven't had one before. At first I was "all thumbs" but with encouragement I got better, and just look at me now! You will become an artichoke aficionado, too! Just give it time.