Artichokes: Stuffed and Steamed 

Buy the largest artichokes you can find. I prefer the ones NOT tightly closed, as you can trim them easier and they are easier to open when stuffing them.  Green, to me, is better than the purple shaded ones.  I remember buying them for 25 cents each at Schwegmann.  Now, in California, which is supposed to be the artichoke capital of the world, (Castroville, Calif) we pay about $3.99 EACH for them.  I think we used to buy them stuffed at restaurants in N.O. back then for that price! 

CLEANING THEM: 

Lay the artichoke flat on its side and using a sharp knife, trim the stem off so the choke can sit up on its own.  Then slice the artichoke about 1 -2 " down from the top to remove as many thorns as you can.  This will give the artichoke a nice flat across the top appearance.  Using a kitchen scissors then clip the rest of the thorns.  Discard.  Use your fingers to pry open the artichoke as much as you can and run lukewarm water through the artichoke to remove any dirt or pieces of leaves that you cut off.  Turn upside down to drain. 

TO STUFF THEM: 

Combine on a large tray or in a bowl: 
2 cups seasoned bread crumbs(I like Progresso Italian ) 
2 cups finely grated FRESH parmesan cheese 
20-30 toes of garlic chopped fine 
1-2 T sweet basil. 
1T garlic salt. 
(If you have any stuffing left put in a zip lock bag and freeze for another time or as a topping for a casserole) 
(I have CAPITALIZED other needed ingredients below) 

Pry open leaves and stuff mixture down into each leaf until the artichoke is fat and full of stuffing.  Place a sliced LEMON SLICE on top of the artichoke.  Place artichoke in a cooking pot that has a cover.  Put CHICKEN OR VEGETABLE BROTH or highly seasoned water in bottom of pot to the bottom of the first lower leaf. I like to add a few fresh BAY LEAVES to the water or broth.  Cover, steam on medium heat 10 minutes.  Remove cover and drizzle OLIVE OIL over the top of the artichoke allowing it to saturate each leaf. Cover again and steam another 15 minutes.  Repeat with the olive oil. Repeat 2 to 3 times for about 45 minutes to an hour until you can easily remove a leaf with stuffing intact. (Use a prong to remove the leaf without burning your fingers).  Remember to check the level of the water or broth.  You DO NOT want the water to boil all the way out so keep adding water or broth if necessary to the bottom of the pot. If it scorches on the bottom YOU WILL know and it will ruin the taste. Allow the artichoke to cool slightly and remove from pot and place on a platter so that there is room to put the discarded leaves. To eat it: Remove a leaf, scrape the leaf with your teeth removing the stuffing and "meat" at the bottom of each leaf into your mouth.  (You can freeze them but they are best when eaten right out of the pot slightly warm) 

Options:  Put shrimp, ham or other items into the stuffing before stuffing the artichoke.  Just to add flavor.  This can be a whole meal if you use a meat in the stuffing.  It is a good vegetarian dish if you use the veggie broth above. 
I like to place several stuffed artichokes on a platter, surrounded by several steamed ones (below) with their dip.  Nice to serve in the middle of an antipasta tray.  If the thought of all those discarded leaves on the tray sounds unappetizing then provide an extra side plate for the discarded leaves.  Just put one used leaf on there or no one will know to use it for that :)  There are also artichoke plates you can buy in specialty shops. 

STEAMED or Boiled artichokes: (much healthier) 

Using the same cleaning method, cut off the thorns and pry open the leaves.  Wash, put several artichokes in a pot of chicken broth or veggie broth or highly seasoned water and other seasonings (you need to use LOTS of liquid to boil them in this recipe, not like stuffing them where you just fill to bottom of the first leaf).  Use LOTS of garlic.  I like to use 10-20 toes per artichoke.  This is the real secret to their success.  I also add other seasonings like Season All, basil, parsley, Greek seasoning, what ever you like or have on hand.  I think the dry Italian seasonings work well too.  Boil the artichokes covered for about 45 minutes to an hour, until a leaf can be pulled off without effort.  Add more liquid to bottom of pot as necessary . 
When done, remove artichoke, but keep the broth and remove seasonings and garlic.  Put garlic and seasonings in a small bowl and mash and mix with a little mayo or salad dressing and this is your "Dip".  If you need to, use a little of the boiling water to thin the dip. 

Getting to the HEART of the artichoke: 

Using a spoon remove the choke, the hairy part at the very bottom of the artichoke.  You can do this right after cooking if you want and then put the dip into the center of the artichoke.  Sometimes I just place the tiny bowl, like a pudding bowl size, into the center of the artichoke, if I have removed the choke already. 
Once the choke is removed, the HEART lies beneath it.  Cut the heart into bite size pieces and serve with melted butter or the dip from the steamed artichokes.  Have tooth picks available to serve the heart pieces OR you can save the heart for salad or an artichoke dip or casserole another time but need to use it soon. 


Source:
Thanks to Katie Austin Donovan Katie-donovan@charter.net (as told to her by her Aunt Ida Salk, around 1965)