Robert Galanos Artichokes Italian Grandmother Style Recipes

GRANDMA'S ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Trim artichoke stems flat so the artichokes can stand upright and rinse artichokes thoroughly in running water. Hold artichokes upside down over a work surface and smash the artichokes lightly to open the leaves. Spread 1/4 of the garlic into the spaces between leaves of each artichoke.
• Season artichokes with salt, black pepper, and 1 tablespoon grated Romano cheese per artichoke, opening the leaves and letting the seasonings and cheese into the leaves. Push torn leaves of parsley into the spaces between the leaves to hold the seasonings in.
• Set the artichokes upright in a saucepan and pour peanut oil over the artichokes, letting the oil seep into the crevices between leaves. Gently pour water into the saucepan, taking care not to let the water splash on the artichokes and wash off the oil. Cover pan.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently until the outer leaves of the artichoke are easy to strip off but are not mushy or falling apart, about 1 hour. Test for salt and season with more if desired; simmer 5 to 10 more minutes to let the salt dissolve.

ITALIAN STUFFED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Rinse artichokes well, tugging leaves outward to loosen slightly for stuffing.
• Trim off stems so artichokes sit on a flat surface.
• Trim off the pointed tips of each leaf.
• Set aside.
• In a large bowl combine bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, garlic salt, and pepper.
• Mix well; slowly add the oil till the crumb mixture is moistened enough to stick together.
• You may need to adjust the amount of oil depending on the type and amount of bread crumbs used.
• Stuff each leaf of the artichoke, starting from the bottom and working your way around, with crumb mixture.
• Stuff desired amount of leaves and shake off excess mixture.
• Continue this step with remaining artichokes.
• Place artichokes in a large baking pan and fill bottom of pan with 1/2 to 1 inch of water.
• Drizzle olive oil over top of stuffed artichokes and cover tightly with heavy duty foil.
• Cook on 375 degrees for approximately 60-80 minutes (depending on size of artichoke) or until leave comes out easily.
• Cool for 10 minutes; serve and Enjoy!

PAN ROASTED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Clean the artichokes by removing the outer leaves until you reach the yellow light green part of the artichoke. Cut the top part of the leaves (about 3/4 inch), trim about 1/4 inch of the stem and peel the stem. Cut the artichoke in half and place them in a bowl of water in which you have squeezed the juice of one lemon. Clean all your artichokes and keep them in water for about 10 mins. Put a very light coat of EV olive oil in a cast iron pan and let it get very hot. Coat each piece of artichoke with a very thin film of EV olive oil and put them in the pan facing down. Cook them for about 5-6 mins. or until they begin to turn brown. Turn them over and cook them for another about 7-8 mins. Put all the artichokes in a platter facing up. In a little bowl, put 5 Tbs of EV olive oil and add the garlic and parsley. Mix well and with a teaspoon spread over each artichoke. Sprinkle with salt and fresh black pepper.

ROBERT GALANO'S ARTICHOKES ITALIAN-GRANDMOTHER STYLE

Steps:

• Cut stems off bottom of artichokes; peel and save. Pound bottom of each artichoke on table (not so hard that they squash) two or three times to open leaves. Cut off points of artichokes and snip side points with scissors.
• Cut garlic into a total of 20 pieces. Punch (with finger or end of wooden spoon) one piece of garlic down into center of each artichoke (You may have to separate the leaves a bit with your fingers) and three more pieces between outside leaves.
• Repeat with the parsley.
• Cut stems in two and stuff one down each center like garlic and parsley. If stems are too long, cut off part.
• Place artichokes in a pot so they gently touch the sides and each other. Be careful not to pour water into artiichokes; pour enough into pot to reach half way up the sides of the artichokes. Add three or four tablespoons olive oil, basil and oregano to water.
• Add an additional tablespoon of olive oil to center of each artichoke. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cover pot and cook over high heat until boiling; reduce heat to simmer. Simmer 45 minutes to one hour until a center leaf removes easily. Do not overcook. Drain and reserve liquid.
• Serve at room temperature or chill overnight and bring to room temperature before serving.

NONNA'S ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Cut the stems and tops off each artichoke. Remove the tough outer leaves. Snip the ends off the remaining leaves with scissors to remove thorns. Remove the tough exterior of the stems and cut them in half. Set aside.
• Combine bread crumbs, pecorino Romano cheese, mint, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and mix well.
• Wiggle an artichoke back and forth with your thumbs to open the leaves. Stuff the bread crumb mixture between multiple leaves and in the center. Repeat with the second artichoke.
• Place artichokes and stem pieces in a large pan that has a tight-fitting lid. Add wine and water to the pan, making sure not to wet the artichokes. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until you can easily pull an outer leaf off an artichoke, about 1 hour.

ITALIAN STUFFED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife, level the bottom of each artichoke and cut 1 in. from the tops. Using kitchen scissors, snip off tips of outer leaves; brush cut edges with lemon juice. Stand artichokes in a Dutch oven; add 1 in. of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until leaves near the center pull out easily. , Invert artichokes to drain; let stand for 10 minutes. With a spoon, carefully scrape out the fuzzy center portions of artichokes and discard. , In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, garlic, Italian seasoning, lemon zest, pepper and salt. Add olive oil; mix well. Gently spread artichoke leaves apart; fill with bread crumb mixture. , Place in an 11x7-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until filling is lightly browned.