STUFFED ARTICHOKES, ROMAN STYLE
LIke many Italian vegetable dishes, this can be served as antipasto, or, cut into pieces, as a side dish or part of a mixed vegetable antipasto, serve them warm or at room temperature. Look for artichokes with compact heads and few tough, brown leaves.
FOR 6 SERVINGS
INGREDIENTS
1 lemon
6 medium-sized artichokes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 1/2 cups soft white bread crumbs
8 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Squeeze the juice of the lemon into a large bowl and drop in the rinds; fill the bowl about halfway with cold water. Remove the tough outer leaves of the artichokes and trim the stem ends so that they are flat. With scissors, clip away the tips of the remaining leaves. As you prepare them, place the artichokes in the acidulated water.
Preheat the oven to 325 F.
In a mixing bowl, combine the garlic, mint, bread crumbs, 2 to 3 tablespoons oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Remove the artichokes from the bowl and shake out as much excess water as possible. Open the leaves of the artichokes. If you wish, the hairy choke can be removed from the centers using a spoon (or grapefruit spoon). In any case, divide the filling among them, spooning most of it deep into the centers and a bit into the outlying leaves.
Place the artichokes upright in a deep baking dish just large enough to hold them snugly and fill the dish with water to come about halfway up the artichokes. Drizzle the remaining oil over the artichokes and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 1 hour, basting them with the pan juices from time to time. The artichokes are done when a leaf comes away with just a gentle tug.