How does your mom make stuffed artichokes?
My mom has always made them this way, with simple breadcrumbs, garlic, and parsley. Simple, but so good, because the beauty of this recipe has always been its simplicity. 😊
The uniqueness of my mom’s stuffed artichokes isn’t in the recipe itself, which is a classic recipe from the tradition of moms and grandmas of the past, but in what it represents for me. It’s one of those childhood recipes that are remembered because they are part of the memories, because when mom made stuffed artichokes I was happy, because they were good and I liked them (I was a strange child, I liked artichokes!), because they were always the same, always made the same way, always cooked in the same pot, always with the same sauce, always them, made just like that, mom’s stuffed artichokes. Only she made them like that and only she still makes them like that today, in the same way.
They can be imitated, you can try as much as you want but they won’t turn out the same, and they never will. 😌😃
But even my mom’s stuffed artichokes made my way are good, eh! 😃 We had a great feast! It had been years, really years, since we last ate stuffed artichokes, mine or mom’s, and these ones you see in the photos we really enjoyed!
👇 Here I leave you a couple of other ideas with artichokes + the complete collection: 👇
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian Regional
- Seasonality: Winter, Spring
Ingredients
I won’t give you quantities for the ingredients because how many artichokes you decide to cook will depend on each of your needs, and the amount of breadcrumbs then depends on the size of the artichokes.
This is the classic recipe that is made by eye like all our moms have always done.
- artichokes
- breadcrumbs
- chopped parsley
- garlic
- pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
- tomato puree
Tools
- Casserole
- Lid
Steps
Clean the artichokes (as I described in the introduction to the artichoke recipe collection).
Season the breadcrumbs with chopped garlic and parsley, a pinch of pepper, and a little oil, just enough to slightly compact the breadcrumbs inside the artichokes.
For these artichokes, which were 8, I used 2 small cloves of garlic and a tablespoon of chopped parsley, but I confess that for my taste the parsley was a bit sparse, next time I will use more!
Spread the artichokes with your hands and fill the inside with breadcrumbs, roughly a couple of tablespoons per artichoke, but the amount depends on the size of the artichoke, or personal preference.
In the pot that you will use to cook the artichokes, pour the tomato puree and a drizzle of oil. And also the artichoke stems. I didn’t use them today, but in my mom’s recipe the stems are never missing. If you decide to use them, clean them, cut them into pieces, and add them to the tomato puree.
For the tomato puree, I used about 300 grams (about 10 oz), but you need to adjust based on how many artichokes need to be cooked and, importantly, based on the size of the pot.
Arrange the artichokes in the pot, check that they fit, so that the artichokes support each other standing during cooking.
Oil the surface of the breadcrumbs.
As you can see from the photo below, I don’t use a lot of seasoning. My mom seasons the breadcrumbs a bit more. It’s a matter of habit. 😊
Turn on the heat (that is, without pre-cooking the tomato), close the pot with the lid and let it cook for 20-30 minutes. The cooking time can vary based on the size of the artichokes. For the first few minutes of cooking, you can use high heat, then I recommend low heat for the rest of the time.
From time to time check that the tomato puree does not dry out. Depending on the type of puree used (whether more or less reduced) it will be necessary to add water during cooking (I added it a couple of times) to ensure that the sauce does not become too thick. Adding water will also help maintain the moisture needed for the artichokes to cook and become soft.
To know when the artichokes are cooked, just pierce them in the center with a fork or skewer.
Serve the stuffed artichokes as a rich and tasty side dish, accompanied by the tomato sauce.
We usually use the tomato sauce obtained with this recipe as a sauce to cook eggs. It’s this, with the eggs, the classic recipe of my mom. That recipe that, as I told you at the beginning, for me tastes like childhood, for me it’s real comfort food, because it’s the recipe that my mom has made like this forever, her stuffed artichokes are always accompanied by eggs cooked in the sauce of the stuffed artichokes.
But I, eh, sometimes I modify recipes (only sometimes, eh!), so… today no eggs. But… Yes! the eggs will come! We’ll talk about it another time sooner or later!
Enjoy!
Salt-Free Tips
Remember that I cook without added salt. If it’s your first time here and you don’t know that I cook without salt, I invite you to read the article in which I tell my experience: Cooking Without Salt, My Journey. 😊
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
■ Gradually reduce the salt, the palate must get used to it slowly and must not notice the progressive reduction.
■ Use spices. Chili, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
■ Use herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
■ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
■ Use spicy vegetables or fruit. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
■ Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
■ Prefer fresh foods.
■ Avoid cooking in water, prefer cooking that does not disperse flavors (griddle, foil, steam, microwave)
■ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
■ Sometimes allow yourself a break from the rule. It’s good for your mood and helps to persevere.
If you don’t want or can’t give up salt:
■ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
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On my new WhatsApp channel and on Instagram, on the Facebook page and Pinterest, in my two groups: Catia’s Group, In the Kitchen and Beyond and Just What I Was Looking For! and if you want… subscribe to my Newsletter.
