Artichokes stuffed with asparagus and ricotta

Recipe for asparagus-and-ricotta stuffed artichokes

Preparation and cooking

• - Steam asparagus so that you can then mash their stems with a fork.
• - Prepare artichokes.
  Put your artichokes, whole, in a bowl full of water without cleaning them.
  Steam them whole, up to well firm. You'll need about 20 minutes but time depends on their size and quality.
  Let them cool.
  Then eliminite their outer and harder leaves.
  Cut them in half, lengthwise.
  Cut their end with scissors and hollow out their inside by removing any beards and small spines still present in.
• - Prepare artichoke filling.
  Cut asparagus tips and set aside.
  Mash their stems with a fork, removing their terminal end if too hard.
  Add ricotta cheese, chopped sun dried tomatoes, onion, and olives.
  Season to taste with salt and stir well.
• - Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
• - Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• - Spoon your filling into every halved artichoke, add one or two tips of asparagus as you can see in the photo and transfer into the baking sheet.
• - Sprinkle their surface with dried breadcrumbs and olive oil.
• - Bake your artichokes until their surface is well golden, 20 to 30 minutes.
  Your artichokes should be crispy.

Just before serving

• - Let your artichokes rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Note

Tips

• - I have always a sprayer with olive oil in the kitchen. This is invaluable because you can perfectly oil every surface before baking and in many other cases.
• - Don't choose more fleshy artichokes. It is inevitable that you can't hollow out too much and your recipe isn't so good as this one.
• - Use a seasoned cheese instead of ricotta if you prefer.
• - I sometimes add raisins too to my stuffing (20g - 3/4 ounce).

Menu planning

• - I think these stuffed artichokes are very good in an assorted antipasto platter. Add other seasonal vegetables such as cauliflower mini flans.
  You can also serve them with savory pies or tarts and cold cuts such as raw ham and culatello.
• - Another good idea: prepare them for your family vegetarian lunch or dinner.

Useful links for this recipe

• - Here's the recipe for cauliflower mini flans!
• - Have you any curiosity on artichokes?

Healthy eating

• - If you want to prepare these stuffed artichokes for your family menu you have to consider their nutrition facts to choose well the other courses.
  It's a plate rich in nutrients. What about to serve them after a vegetable soup? I remember you decreasing the consumption of meat is an excellent choice for healthy eating ;))
• - Fiber per portion: 5.8 grams (daily intake: 23 grams)

Loretta

What's the right wine ?

The best thing is not to pair a wine with artichokes. Prefer a beer!