Oven Roasted Artichokes

Summer always brings an abundance of vegetables. Personally, I quite adore artichokes. They are delicious and have so many uses. Growing up I remember mounds of steamed artichokes sitting next to glistening bowls of melted butter. A steamed artichoke is never a bad thing, but I've been thinking....there must be another way. Roasting vegetables is like the world's gift to the home cook because it's easy and everything comes out super tasty so I figured, let's see how an artichoke does. The idea here is kind of roast-steam combo because you seal the artichokes in little tinfoil packages so they cook all the way through without burning. I stuffed mine with a spin on a classic Italian combination of sharp and salty pecorino, sweetly tart lemon, crunchy panko bread crumbs and garlic. The artichoke gets soft but with a rich deep flavor and you don't need a dipping sauce for these guys. You'll be licking your fingers though.

Oven Roasted Stuffed Artichokes

(A Girl and Her Kitchen)

1 large artichoke

2 tbsp of pecorino, grated

2 tbsp panko (or basic bread crumbs)

2 tsp olive oil

1 lemon (meyer lemons are best but can sub for your standard lemon)

Salt and pepper

2 garlic cloves

Clean and trim the artichokes: remove the stem (though I like to eat the stem so you can trim it and then leave it on). Using kitchen shears, trim the top ½ inch or so of all the leaves and remove the tough leaves near the bottom on the very outer edge.

Using a very sharp, large knife cut the artichokes in half length-wise. Lay the halves on a large piece of tinfoil (big enough to be folded over and sealed like a package) on a cookie sheet. 

Squeeze ½ a lemon on each artichoke half and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Slice each garlic clove in half and shove the chunks in between the leaves of the artichokes in a few places. Sprinkle each half with 1 tbsp of pecorino and panko and 1 tsp of olive oil. Cover with the tinfoil and crimp the edges to seal the tinfoil package.

Place in a 400 degree oven for 45-55 minutes until tender. Serve warm.

Cook’s Note: makes a great side dish and gorgeous dish for guests. 1 artichoke can serve 2 people as a side or 1 person as a main.