Kristi's Stuffed Artichokes
 

Since I'm cooking again, I figured I'd post another recipe :)

Before I begin, let me note, all ingredients are fresh, fresh, fresh. If you choose to use powders or dried ingredients, you may, but you will sacrifice in flavor.

Ingredients:

4 medium/large artichokes (about 12 inch circum at base)
5 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 lemon
1/3 cup Olive Oil
4 medium sized cloves garlic
1/2 cup mozz cheese
Stuffing (Recipe below)

In a small saucepan, add oil and garlic and cook slowly on medium low heat. Brown lightly, but do NOT burn. Remove from heat and set aside.

With sharp knife, slice off stem to make artichoke flush for sitting in pot. Discard stems. Pull any very small leaves off bottom and also discard.

Slice top 1/2 inch or so of each artichoke evenly off.

Using Kitchen Shears, cut prickly type top off of each outher leaf.

Pull artichoke leaves apart to reveal inner prickery light yellow leaves with red tops.

Being very careful (these leaves are SHARP) pull leaves out until you come to a very prickly redish leaved center.

Using melon baller or grapefruit spoon, scrape out red prickly leaves and straw type material underneath. Leave heart intact and in artichoke. This will have a hard scrape to it when you hit it and is the best part of the vegetable.

Squeeze lemon over each artichoke evenly around (the idea isn't to saturate. About 1/4 of the juice of the half lemon should be squeezed around each choke all around.

Stuff each artichoke in the middle (where you removed prickly red leaves and straw type material) with 1/4 of stuffing mixture.

Add four cups of water to large saucepan and add 1 teaspoon koser salt. Place artichokes in pot.

Take two teaspoons of garlic/oil mixture that was set aside and drizzle over each choke, leaves and a little on the stuffing mixture.

Bring pot to simmer/slow boil over medium/high heat.
Reduce heat to medium low and cover. The idea is to keep a simmer/slow boil throughout the cooking process.

After 1/2 hour, check water level, add more water if needed to resume original level. After another 1/2 hour repeat.

Cook 15 more minutes and remove lid from pot. Sprinkle about 1 - 2 Tblsp Mozzerella cheese over stuffing of each choke. Cover until cheese has melted.

Serve warm in shallow bowl. Make sure to have a seperate bowl on table where diners can discard the leaves. This goes great with a dry or semi dry white wine.

Stuffing:

Ingredients:

2 tblsp Olive Oil
1 small clove garlic (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 lemon
1 Tbls Butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups washed and sliced white mushrooms
2 Tblsp diced yellow pepper
1 Tblsp diced celery
1 Tblsp diced onion
2 Tblsp Parm Cheese
2 Tblsp FRESH parsley, coursely chopped
1/3 cup (heaping) diced red tomato
4 slices LC White Bread (for best results, use a commercial brand with around 6 G net carbs per slice. This makes for a more tender stuffing)

In small saucepan, add 2 Tbls olive oil and 1 small clove garlic over medium low heat. Cook until fragrant.

Add 1 Tblsp butter, 3 cups of sliced mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook until mushrooms are about 1/2 done.

Add yellow pepper, celery, 1/2 lemon of juice and onion. Stir and let mushrooms cook down until they are cooked, but still have a bite ( We do NOT want the consistency of canned mushrooms here. You want a tender but flavorful mushroom).

Add this mixture to a bowl ( do not use liquid, but leave on reserve to add a teaspoon or two if stuffing mixture is dry at the end)

Add 4 slices LC white bread (crusts removed), 2 Tblsp parsley and 1/3 cup chopped tomato to bowl. Mix with spoon to incorperate and then mix again with hand. Do not mush, but blend well.

I hope you all enjoy. I'll be eating this shortly :D

Hugs,
Kristi

Update:

I tried this with the 2 G per slice LC bread and it came out fine! :)

Hugs,
Kristi