Bacon Stuffed Artichokes
One of the webinars I listened to this week was about best practices in nutrition education programs. While I was logged into the webinar and waiting for it to begin, a photo reel played on the screen showing the fruits and vegetables that are in season. I eagerly watched the seasonal produce pop onto my screen. Lemons… Asparagus…Artichokes! I am so intrigued by the way Artichokes look…
They are so vivacious, little did I know, they have ornery thorns at the ends of their leaves! I found out the prickly way arranging them for this photo!
Making Artichokes from scratch has never occurred to me to be honest. Buying the jar or can variety just seems to be the easiest route. I, like many other people, do take the easiest route on occasion though admittedly not often! I like to at least take the road less traveled once in awhile and form my own opinion after. Maybe it was “Spring Fever” but I decided to snag fresh, seasonal artichokes this week and give it a go. I have to warn you, this is not an easy recipe but it was delicious. If you are up for an adventure, try it out. It’s a doozey!
Bacon Stuffed Artichokes
Serves: 2
Prep Time: Forever ( okay, 25 minutes)
Cook Time: Forever ( or 1 hour + simmer)
Ingredients:
- 2 medium size artichokes (leaves trimmed, thorns removed)
- 2-3 slices bacon (cooked, chopped)
- 3 oz. (1/3 cup) parsley, (Italian flat leaf, chiffonaded)
- 1/3 cup fresh oregano, (from our garden, chiffonaded)
- 2-3 garlic cloves, grated
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2/3 cup oats (ground coarsely to flour, or sub breadcrumbs)
- 1/2 cup grated parm cheese
For Simmering:
- 1-2 cups water ( fills a large pot to ~ 1 1/2 inch high)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- Juice of 1 lemon
Preparation:
Place ingredients for simmering into large pot and place on burner. Trust me, after you tackle the Artichokes, you are going to be ready to throw the suckers into hot water. Cook bacon, chop after cooling. (I cooked the bacon in advance and used bacon for another recipe that I will share next). Here is a sneak peak:
In a bowl, prepare the stuffing mixture by adding chopped bacon through pepper and blending all ingredients well. Again, your fingers will want to get this out of the way first.
Rinse Artichokes and begin the grueling trimming process. I removed the leaves from the bottom stem and some of the outer layer leaves, then began cutting off the thorns for each leaf by snipping the top 1/2 inch + off the leaves. Trim each leaf, being careful of the thorns. Luckily, no blood was drawn from any of the multiple times I stabbed pricked myself. The most difficult part is getting into the middle to remove the choke- It felt like the game Operation. The artichoke no longer resembled the delicious salad enhancer I once thought of it as, but more so, a fortress impossible to invade and de-armor.
Though the beauty kept me entertained, I finally got both of these trimmed and inner choke (purpley pink area) removed.The rest of this recipe was the best part. Turn the burner for the simmering pot on low-medium. Stuff each leaf with the stuffing mixture, feel free to stuff as angry or relieved (that the process is near done) as you’d like and place the stuffed artichokes into their demise the pot.
Cover and simmer for 45 minutes- 1 hr 20 minutes (I let them sit longer just because). During the simmering process, sit down and enjoy your favorite tasty beverage because after that prep, you deserve it!
Have you ever tried a recipe that was difficult but worth every bite?
Have you ever cooked Artichokes before?
What are your weekend plans for Easter?
I believe I will be camping at the beach!
