Stuffed Artichokes

I love artichokes, one of the first spring vegetables to appear in greengrocers. I love them finely shaved raw in a salad, deep-fried Roman-style (carciofi alla Giudia), and preserved on an antipasto plate. But most of all I love them in this very rustic dish of stuffed artichokes, which you have to eat with your hands removing one leaf at a time and scraping the tender base off between your teeth. They are a little messy, but well worth it! For a more refined dish that can be eaten with a knife and fork, trim more of the tough leaves away leaving only soft, edible leaves, but it won’t be as much fun (see video below for a step-by-step guide to preparing artichokes)! Artichokes are notoriously difficult to match with wine, as cynarin, a bitter compound in them, makes many wines taste sweet and simple. My answer is a fortified – especially an Amontillado Sherry such as Sanchez Romate’s NPU, dry with some nice nutty, spicy notes and a hint of its own bitterness. When artichokes are out of season, or you just need a quick fix, try this simple artichoke and white bean dip using good preserved artichoke pieces.

Serves 4 as a starter

Ingredients

1½ cups coarse fresh breadcrumbs (about 100g/3½oz)
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
7 anchovy fillets, chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons tiny salted capers, rinsed and drained
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling (125ml)
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt flakes, to taste
2 lemons
4 globe artichokes

Method

Place breadcrumbs, parsley, anchovies, capers, garlic, oil, cayenne and salt in a bowl. Juice and zest 1 lemon, add to the bowl and mix well.
Half fill a large bowl with cold water and squeeze half of the remaining lemon into it, place the other half alongside.
Working one at a time, trim the artichokes and remove the outer leaves to get to the pale green heart; see video below and my step-by step guide for preparing artichokes here.
Remove artichokes from the water and place upside down on a clean tea towel to drain.
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Fill the centre of each artichoke with the breadcrumb mixture, packing extra mixture between the leaves.
Arrange stuffed artichokes in one or two wide heatproof bowls and place in a baking dish.
Pour boiling water half way up the side of the baking dish to create a bain marie.
Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, until the base of the artichokes are tender when pierced with a thin skewer or toothpick.
Remove foil and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Serve stuffed artichokes with finger bowls, large serviettes and a large bowl for discarded leaves.