Cheryl Richard/The Creswell Chronicle
This healthy recipe is a showstopper; a bit fancy and quite chic, it is a perfect dish for entertaining.
SERVES: 6
PREP TIME: 1 1/2 hours
Ingredients:
2 large artichokes
2 large lemons; juice squeezed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup finely chopped spinach
1 pint chopped cherry tomatoes
3 tablespoons fresh basil
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
½ teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
½ cup feta cheese
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt and pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
Directions:
Note: Be careful! Artichokes can hurt.
Wash each artichoke and cut stem off so that it sits flat.
Cut 1 inch off the top of the artichoke.
Spread out the leaves. Take a pair of scissors and cut all of the sticky ends off. You want a nice, safe artichoke to eat.
Take your artichokes and toss them in the lemon juice. This will keep the pretty green color.
In a medium pot of boiling water
Fill a medium pot with 3 inches of salted water and bring to a boil. Add artichokes. Keep them sitting up in a low boil for 20 minutes.
With a pair of tongs, take artichokes out of the water and place on a kitchen towel. Let water drain off. With a spoon, start to dig down to the center of the artichoke. Take out the furry middle of the artichoke. Take out the very middle of the artichoke leaves; you will see the hairy middle. Carefully remove all of the hair.
Once the middle of your artichoke is nice and clean, it’s time to stuff it. While the artichokes are cooking, in a medium glass bowl add gluten-free bread crumbs, herbs, tomatoes, chopped spinach, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Add a tablespoon of olive oil, vinegar, the rest of your lemon juice, water and feta and parmesan cheese. Mix well. As you stir the mixture, try to smoosh the juice out tomatoes.
Place artichokes on a glass baking dish and carefully spoon in the stuffing. Spread the leaves and stuff all areas with our filling. Drizzle the artichokes with the rest of your olive oil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Serve with a small dish of basil lemon oil for dipping (see recipe on page).