Carciofiripienistuffedartichokes Recipes

FETTUCCINE CON CARCIOFI: FETTUCCINE WITH ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Clean the artichokes by removing all the tough outer leaves until you get to a pale yellow center. Peel the outer tough skin of the artichoke stems with a paring knife. Trim 1/3 off the tops of each artichoke and rub with lemon. Squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl of cool water and place all the cleaned artichokes in to prevent them from browning.
• Place the fettuccine in salted boiling water. Stir to prevent the strands from sticking together.
• Add the olive oil, garlic and chile, if using, to a saucepan and saute until golden. Remove the artichokes from the water and roughly chop. Add the chopped artichokes, cherry tomatoes, and wine to the pan. Once the wine has reduced, add the tomato puree, mint, and salt, to taste. Allow to simmer for approximately 15 minutes.
• About 2 minutes before the fettuccine is at the 'al dente' stage, drain the pasta, reserving approximately 1 cup of pasta water. Add the fettuccine and pasta water to the pan. Then add the butter and Parmigiano cheese and cook all together for an additional 30 seconds. Serve immediately.

CARCIOFI RIPIENI (STUFFED ARTICHOKES)

Steps:

• Remove as many as the outer leaves of the artichokes as look tough, bruised or split. Don't worry about taking off too many; there are plenty under there. Trim the stem, but not too far, and create a flat bottom for the artichokes. Cut off about 1/2 inch of the tops with a sharp blade.
• Rinse each artichoke under water, and place in a large bowl of water into which you have squeezed half the lemon. This acidulated water will keep them from turning brown on their cut edges.
• Drain the artichokes upside down on a clean dish cloth, while you prepare the filling. Put all the rest of the ingredients, except the olive oil, in a bowl and mix well. Now, hold each trimmed artichoke over the bowl, and spread the leaves with the fingers of one hand, while filling the gaps with a teaspoon and the bread crumb mixture. The goal is to get as much of the filling distributed as evenly as one can.
• Place all the filled artichokes in a baking dish, and liberally pour olive oil to taste over each one - nearly a tablespoon for each is about the right amount. Pour a scant cup of water, or even water and white wine, into the baking dish. Cut the remaining piece of lemon up, and tuck around the artichokes. Cover securely with foil, and bake at 350F for about 1 and 1/2 hours. The leaves should pull out easily when they are done.
• These should be cooled a bit before serving. Enjoy.