The artichokes, named ‘cacocciuli’ in Sicilian dialect, are very much used and appreciated in the Sicilian cuisine, which offers numerous ways of cooking them.

We now propose a artichoke recipe, which is simple but tasty and nutritious at the same time; excellent for a vegetarian dinner or as an original side dish.

 

 

 

SERVINGS:8

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 artichokes
• 2 garlic cloves
• a bit of a parsley
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
• chopped cappers to taste
• 3/4 cup of Pecorino Romano cheese
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• anchovies (optional)
• extra virgin olive oil

 

 

DIRECTIONS:

To prepare Carciofi Ripieni alla Siciliana start by cleaning the artichokes.

Remove the tougher outer leaves, discard the stem and cut off the end of the leaves, the pointed part.

Placing your fingers in the center, open them slightly and remove the central beard.

Rub them with lemon to prevent them from blackening.

Pass the anchovies under running water to remove excess salt, remove the bones and cut them into small pieces.

Wash, clean and finely chop the parsley.

Take the artichokes back, season with a pinch of salt and sprinkle with pepper.

Evenly distribute both the anchovies and parsley inside the artichokes.

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a nonstick pan, then add the peeled garlic and breadcrumbs.

Cook for a few minutes, stirring often so that the breadcrumbs toast perfectly.

Remove the garlic, add the chopped capers and stir to combine.

Insert this mixture into the artichokes, distributing it evenly.

Take a casserole dish, wet it with the remaining oil and arrange the artichokes in it, facing upward.

Wet them with a drop of water, cover with a lid and cook on a low flame for about 25 minutes.

Remove the lid, wet with another drop of water if necessary and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat, arrange on serving plates and serve the Carciofi Ripieni alla Siciliana piping hot!