Stuffed Artichokes - Maltese Recipe
Artichokes are one of those unusual vegetables that most people don’t gravitate towards during their grocery trip.
It doesn’t resemble much of a veggie (at least not to me), in fact it looks more like a cacti flower that you’d find in some sort of desert, with its thick petals and unique shape.
Growing up I had never tried artichoke, it wasn’t until I met my husband that his family had introduced it to me. I remember the first time trying it, I wasn’t really impressed. It didn’t have much taste to it and the process of eating it was a bit unusual to me, so needless to say, I never gravitated towards it again.
Fast forward a few years later and somehow my husband convinced me to try it again. So I did, except this time we tweaked the recipe just a bit to match our (or should I say mine LOL) tastebuds. And OMG it was delicious! So much so that my husband and I make it at least once a month.
Artichokes are great because they are low in calories, fat and cholesterol and are high in fibre, potassium, vitamin C and magnesium. Artichokes are also very high in antioxidants, specifically the ‘heart’, which is located in the middle, deep beneath the petals.
Because of their tough exterior, artichokes take quite some time to cook (at least this recipe) and as a result, I recommend making them during the weekend so that you can cook them slowly.
There are a few different ways and recipes to cook artichokes, but this particular recipe is how we enjoy it most, the common way found in Maltese cuisine.
You’ll need:
12 cups of water
2 tbsp of olive oil
4 medium sized artichokes
5-7 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2.5 tbsp of slice kalamata olives
1 tbsp of capers
Elastic bands
First thing you’ll want to do is rinse the artichoke, removing any unwanted debris or dirt.
Afterwards, with a knife, cut the stem into thin slices and put them aside for the ‘stuffing’ (this is optional, you can skip it if you’d like).
In a bowl, mix the garlic, olives, stems (optional) and capers until well combined. This is what you’ll use to stuff the artichokes with.
Gently pull back the petal of the artichoke, creating an ‘opening’, once this has been achieved, grab a small amount of your ‘stuffing’ mix and carefully push in the ingredients. Pull back the petals and repeat until the artichoke is well stuffed. Once completed, wrap an elastic band around the artichoke, this will help keep the stuffing from falling out.
Do this for all of your artichokes.
In a large pot, boil the water under medium heat.
When the water is boiling, pour in the olive oil.
With a pair of tongs, carefully place the stuffed artichokes into the water. Cover the pot with the lid and turn down the heat to low.
Cook the artichokes in a slow simmer between 5-6 hours, until the outer petals are tender.
Once the artichokes are fully cooked, remove them from the water and let them cool for just a few minutes. When you are ready to eat, the petals should easily pull apart. How do you eat them? You put the petal in your mouth and pull, scraping the ‘meat’ of the artichoke between your teeth. This process is repeated until you get to the heart. The heart can be eaten whole, like you would eat any other food.
Just an FYI, these artichokes are cooked in our home as a snack rather than a meal or side dish. When you factor in the amount of prep and cooking time involved, it is quite a bit, but I promise you it’ll be worth it! The aroma that encompasses the kitchen makes the work involved worth it too!
Enjoy!
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