Stuffed Roasted Artichokes

By Brooke Bass of Chocolate + Marrow

I grew up in New Orleans where, thanks to the rich influence of the city’s Italians, stuffed artichokes were ubiquitous. You could find them in the prepared foods of a grocery store, wrapped in cellophane at the seafood market, or on the dinner table of home cooks around the city. This was especially true during Mardi Gras. 

These days, though, when visits home are all but impossible, I’ve been getting my stuffed artichoke fix on my own, made better for my body, and for the planet, with just a few simple changes to the classic method I grew up with. 

The first thing to know when making stuffed artichokes is that you’ll need patience. Preparing an artichoke for stuffing takes a bit of elbow grease, a dash of technique, and a not-so-insignificant amount of time. 

The good news is that that’s the hard part. And once you’ve prepared the artichoke for stuffing by slicing off its pointy tips and scooping out its stubborn choke, the rest is easy. 

It’s simply a matter of mixing the stuffing, pressing it into all the nooks and crannies between the leaves, and then roasting it until your whole house smells like caramelized artichoke, roasted garlic, and savory Mediterranean herbs.

Instead of bread crumbs, which are used in the classic version of this dish, I use almond meal. This was actually the result of a happy accident I made earlier in the summer when I had artichokes that needed stuffing and no bread crumbs to stuff with! But the end result was rich, nutty, and (bonus) low-carb, so it became a regular feature in my stuffed ‘chokes. If all you have on hand is breadcrumbs and no almond meal, though, go ahead and use them. The end result will be just as delicious.

These artichokes get a deeply salty and umami-heavy hit from the combination of salt, nutritional yeast, and soy sauce. Soy sauce may sound like an odd addition for an Italian dish, and I’m sure Italians around the world would baulk at me here, but when it’s used in combination with nutritional yeast it comes together to make a satisfying “cheese-y” flavor that’s critical for this dish. 

Artichokes are hitting their (second) peak season of the year. And it’s the last one we’ll get until spring, so go grab a few and start stuffing. 

Stuffed Roasted Artichokes

Servings: 2 full or 4 half servings

Prep time: 20-30 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 2 artichokes

• 1 cup of almond flour, almond meal, or fine bread crumbs

• 5 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/8 cup of dried Mediterranean herbs such as basil, chives, parsley, or thyme

• 1-½ teaspoons of salt

• ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes

• ¼ cup of nutritional yeast

• ¼ to ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed

• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce

• ½ lemon, juiced

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

• Use a serrated knife to slice the top third of the artichokes – the part with the pointy tips – off. Use kitchen shears to trim the tips off of any leaves at the bottom that the knife may have missed. Then, pull the choke out of the artichoke. (The choke is made up of the small purple leaves and fibrous hair-like portion of the artichoke.) This part can be tedious so be patient! I find it helps to use the tip of a paring knife to gently carve around the choke. Then, use a spoon to scrape it out one bit at a time. Leave the heart of the artichoke intact. 

• Lay each prepared artichoke on a piece of tin foil roughly 24-inches in length. Set aside.

• Combine dry ingredients – minced garlic, dried herbs, salt, and nutritional yeast – in a medium sized bowl. Add the soy sauce and lemon juice, then add the olive oil a little at a time, stirring as you go, until the stuffing forms a thick sticky paste that is thin enough to spread but still firm enough to form a sticky ball in the palm of your hand. Depending on whether you’re using almond meal or flour, you may have to use the full ½ cup of olive oil or you may be able to get away with a little less.

• Divide the stuffing roughly in half. Scoop a heaping spoonful into the middle of the artichoke where the choke once was, then use your fingertips to separate the leaves of the artichoke. Press the stuffing in between each layer of leaves, making sure to distribute it evenly throughout each artichoke. 

• Fold the tin foil up and around the artichokes, sealing tightly, and making sure no part of the artichokes is exposed. If your artichokes are very large, you may need to use another piece of tin foil to cover them. 

• Place the artichokes on baking pan and roast in preheated oven for 60 minutes or until done. You can check for doneness by gently opening the tin foil packet and pulling at a leaf. If it comes out easily, it’s ready; if it resists, roast for another 15 minutes and check again. 

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