Stuffed Artichokes

Tis' the season for receiving artichokes in my CSA box, and when my friend Tori handed off the two from her box to me this morning, I knew these guys would be on the menu tonight. As mentioned in my Walnut Coconut Chocolate Chip Tart post, I landed Alton Brown's Feasting on Asphalt (the River Run) today for a mere $3.00! SCORE! While poring over the book all day, I ran across a recipe he had while New Orleans, that of Stuffed Artichokes, which despite not being a locally grown ingredient, happens to be a very popular dish in Louisiana. They looked quite good, so I made up a batch to go with some left over Egg and Sausage Quiche. These really were very tasty. The stuffing is light and pairs really well with the meaty taste of the cooked artichoke. Yum. The recipe is straight from the book which came straight from Big Fisherman Seafood, a seafood shop in New Orleans, Louisiana. **My artichokes were on the smaller side, so even though I had 4, I used half the breading mix (1/2 of what you see spelled out below), but if you have large artichokes, you'll need to use the full recipe.**

Stuffed Artichokes
Ingredients:
2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup dried parsley
2 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
4 whole artichokes
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 lemon slices
1/2 tsp paprika

1. Preheat oven to 340 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, garlic powder, parsley, 1 tsp of salt and the pepper. Add the oil and water and stir to combine. The mixture should be moist and loose. Set the filling aside.

2. Trim the tops of the artichokes by about 3 inches. Trim off the stems, and trip the tips of any remaining leaves. Place the artichokes in an 8-quart pot and cover with water. (The artichokes will float.)

Add the remaining salt and the lemon juice to the water. Bring to a boil, cover and cook until tender, about 20-25 minutes.

3. Remove the artichokes from the water and let them cool upside down. Once they are cool to the touch, squeeze any remaining water out. Scoop out the middle to remove the fuzzy choke. Slightly push the leaves apart.

4. Place the artichokes in a 9X13-inch glass baking dish. Evenly divide the filling among the artichokes, making sure to get some in between the leaves. Top with the lemon slices and sprinkle with the paprika. Pour just enough water in the dish to cover the bottom of the artichokes. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.