Many people find artichokes vexing, only ordering in restaurants. And while I’ve yet to master the art of the fried artichoke (suggestions welcome!), I’ve finally landed on a proven method that delivers a tasty stuffed artichoke you can enjoy for lunch, snack or side dish. There are three parts to this: picking, prepping and pressure cooking.
Picking: When we lived in Silicon Valley, we had access to great artichokes since nearly all artichokes sold in this country come from California. In fact, Castroville, about an hour from where we lived, is the self-proclaimed “Artichoke Center of the World” and has an annual festival in celebration of this pre-historic-looking flower bud of a thistle. We used to get the best ones at the nearby Campbell Farmer’s Market and the man selling them offered some insider’s advice on picking. The freshest, best-tasting artichokes are going to be heavy and vibrant green, with tight leaf formation. If the leaves are open, their color dull and have a light feel, they are past their prime. Also: the cheaper an artichoke, the fresher it likely is since produce is generally cheaper when it’s in season and more abundant. (Supply vs. demand at work here.)
Prepping: Be prepared to waste a good amount of this bud. Depending on the size, you’ll want to use a serrated knife to cut the top by about an inch or 1.5 inches, essentially cutting off the prickly tips of most of the leaves. If there are any leaves left you can snip them similarly with a scissor. Then you’ll want to peel several layers of the outer leaves off until you white at the bottom; i find it usually takes 2-3 turns around the choke to get to this point. Then you can slice off the stalk or I sometimes just trim, peel the outside with a peeler, and leave it on as it gets soft and edible after cooking. I slam the choke down a few times to open up the leaves to have easier access to the choke that needs to be removed. Then I use a scissor to cut most of it out. I then put the chokes in a bowl with lemon water to rinse and avoid oxidation while preparing the stuffing.
For the stuffing, I mix 4C Italian breadcrumbs with grated parmigiana (5 parts crumbs to 1 part cheese) and mix with good olive oil until the mixture looks uniformly damp but not sopping. Occasionally I throw other things in including chopped parsley, chopped black olives, or orzo and quinoa instead of crumbs. Once you know the method, feel free to adapt. Then I place one garlic clove in the center of the artichoke where the choke was removed so its essence can permeate the heart, which I love. Then I fill the center with the breadcrumb mixture, being sure to sprinkle in between various leaves so there is a little bready goodness in every bite.
Pressure Cooking: This is the game-changer! Anyone who has roasted or steamed stuffed artichokes before knows the former often dries them out and the latter leaves them looking lackluster and soggy. But 20 minutes in the pressure cooker on steam yields perfectly cooked (mid-sized artichokes) with the bread crumbs slightly toasted. For larger artichokes, you may want to add a few minutes. I add about two cups of water in the bottom plus the lemon wedges from the prep part to infuse more lemon flavor throughout cooking. Make sure the vent is closed so you don’t lose all your steam.
