Sicilian-Style Stuffed Artichokes Recipe

Sicily is known for its plentiful seafood, robust produce grown in volcanic soils, and sun-drenched citrus. In Sicily, the artichoke is a celebrated vegetable and the central protagonist in many traditional recipes, and is eaten raw, roasted, fried, or stuffed. This recipe for Sicilian-style stuffed artichokes — courtesy of recipe developer Julie Kinnaird — highlights many essential ingredients found in Sicilian cuisine, from pine nuts, lemons, and currants to anchovies, olive oil, and Pecorino Romano. The artichokes are trimmed, filled with a delicious stuffing that combines savory, sweet, cheesy, and nutty flavors, and then steamed to highlight the delicate qualities of the vegetable along with the flavorful stuffing.

Knowing how to properly trim and clean artichokes is a valuable culinary skill to possess, and this recipe will take you through all the steps. Creating a steam bath for cooking the stuffed artichokes is simple and yields perfectly cooked artichokes and a moist stuffing. Kinnaird also shares a few tips for varying the ingredients to make the dish your own.

Start by selecting large fresh artichokes that are free of blemishes. They should feel heavy and have tight leaves and a vibrant green color, perhaps with a bit of purple marbling (you will note the purple color on the inside of the artichokes, as well). After you trim and clean the artichokes, use a lemon to squeeze the juice on the cut surfaces to minimize the browning that happens once the artichokes are exposed to the air. The stuffing for the artichokes contains classic Sicilian ingredients: fresh breadcrumbs made from crusty Italian bread, anchovies packed in olive oil, fresh garlic cloves, pine nuts, dried currants, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh Italian parsley, Pecorino Romano cheese, dried oregano, and black pepper. Some of the cheese and olive oil is reserved for topping the artichokes while they steam. 

Trim the stems from the artichokes so that they can sit flat upright.

Cut about 1 ½ inches off the top of each artichoke.

Remove any tough outer leaves and trim any pointy spikes if needed.

Place each artichoke cut-side-down on a cutting board or other surface and press to open up the leaves.

Use a spoon or scoop to dig out the fuzzy choke from the center of each artichoke and discard it.

Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice onto the surface of each artichoke to prevent browning.

Use a fork to remove the anchovies from the oil in the tin and mash them into a rough paste. Reserve the oil.

In a large bowl, mix the mashed anchovies, breadcrumbs, ¾ cup of the cheese, all but 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, pine nuts, currants, ¼ cup of the parsley, garlic, oregano, pepper, and the reserved anchovy oil.

Fill each artichoke with the stuffing mixture, spreading the leaves apart to press into the crevices and centers.

Create a steam bath by placing 2 ramekins or other heat-proof small bowls upside down in the bottom of a large Dutch oven or other pot. Add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Fit a plate on top of the ramekins and arrange the stuffed artichokes on the plate.

Sprinkle the artichokes with the remaining cheese and drizzle the remaining olive oil over the tops.

Cover the pot and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the leaves start to pull away.

Serve the Sicilian-style stuffed artichokes warm or at room temperature.

The choke of an artichoke is the fuzzy center of the vegetable that is located above the heart. While the artichoke heart and the bottoms of the leaves are tender and edible, the choke itself is not meant to be consumed. The fuzzy mass can be quite tough and fibrous, making it unpleasant to eat and to digest.

You will need a spoon or knife to separate the choke from the top of the artichoke heart, but take care! One of the biggest mistakes people make when prepping artichokes is to accidentally cut off and waste the heart, which is the tastiest part of the vegetable. Of course, you can also cook the artichokes first before removing the chokes, as this task is often easier once the fibers have been simmered or steamed. When stuffing artichokes, however, removing the chokes before cooking allows for more space to pack in delicious filling.

Although the flavors of this recipe are classically Sicilian, there are a variety of ways to switch in different ingredients for equally delicious outcomes. If you just do not like the taste of anchovies or need a vegetarian substitution, consider using capers or kalamata olives instead. Anchovies are tiny fish that are typically packed in salt and allowed to ferment after they are harvested, which creates a unique blend of salty and umami flavors. The rich umami is what really sings in this recipe, so it is important to find an ingredient to add that balance. Capers packed in brine also carry a wonderfully pungent umami, briny taste and have the bonus of fitting in the Sicilian ingredient collection. Pitted kalamata olives offer a similar balance of umami and salt, and are easy to mash into a paste as you would do with the anchovies. 

Try using basil or thyme in place of the oregano and experiment with different hard grating cheeses, such as Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano. Instead of dried currants try using golden raisins. Slivered almonds are a tasty substitute for the pine nuts.