Baked Artichokes Stuffed With Minced Meat In A Savoury Marinara Sauce!

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#stovetopartichokes #tomatoesauceartichokes #carciofiripieni #carciofidicarnemacinata

Baked Artichokes Stuffed With Minced Meat In A Savoury Marinara Sauce!

There are probably hundreds of ways that Italians love their stuffed artichokes, and our family is no exception. 

We will be showing you our recipe, which is especially dear to us, because it was taught to me by my loving late sister Josie (Giuseppina).  At one point in her life she worked for a catering company and whenever she came  across a recipe that she liked, she couldn’t wait to share it. This is one of those recipes, stuffed artichokes with minced meat, cooked in a marinara sauce, over stovetop.  A simple, easy recipe that’s truly delicious !

Don’t be intimidated by this recipe.  It’s much easier to prepare than you might think. 

After all the prepping is done, you can look forward to tender artichokes tucked with savoury minced meat between the leaves, cooked in a marinara sauce.

Artichokes are almost buttery  in texture, with a hint of nuttiness and earthiness.  These wonderful flavours get released into the sauce  which makes for a most delicious sauce. 

We didn’t show this in the video, however; we cook a pot of pasta (any type of pasta or long noodles), to accompany the artichokes.  We served the plate of pasta first, followed by the stuffed artichokes, as a complete meal. 

The artichokes will have you licking your fingers and your family members or guests will be impressed when you bring these hearty beautiful looking artichokes to the table.

Needless to say, fun to eat ! And how do you eat them you ask…. start by pulling out the bottom leaves with your fingers and scraping off that flavourful minced meat between your teeth. 

INGREDIENTS: Serves 4-6 

4-6 large fresh firm artichokes (all depending on the size of your pot)

1 kilo (2 lbs.) minced meat of your choice 

2 cups (130-140g) plain or Italian seasoned breadcrumbs 

1 cup (115g) grated parmigiano reggiano 

1 cup (250ml) milk

1 cup finely chopped parsley 🌿 

2 eggs 🥚 

SAUCE:  2 bottles of passata (680g each / 25 ozs. each)

1/3 cup (125 ml) olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder or use 2-3 crushed garlic cloves

1 medium size onion 🧅 (diced)

Salt and black pepper to taste 

optional: some fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS: 

1) Clean the artichokes by removing the outer blemished leaves.  Trim the tips of

    the leaves with a pair of kitchen scissors and cut off the tips. Rinse the artichokes 

    under cold running water by loosening the leaves.  Place them upside down in a

     large bowl, lined with a clean dish towel.  Set aside.

2) In a large saucepan, over stovetop on  medium heat, start cooking your tomato 

    sauce.  Pour the olive oil, sauté your onions 🧅. Pour the 2 bottles of passata.

    Fill both bottles with water to collect the rest of the sauce. Pour into the saucepan.

    Add the garlic powder, salt and black pepper.  

    When the sauce comes to a light bubbly boil, cook for about 1/2 hour.

     Stirring periodically.  

IN THE MEANTIME, LET’S PREPARE THE MINCED MEAT AND STUFF THE ARTICHOKES 

3) In a large bowl, add the minced meat along with all it’s ingredients: breadcrumbs,

  grated cheese, chopped parsley 🌿, milk 🥛 and eggs.  Mix well with clean hands and

   don’t forget to remove your rings.

4) Cut off the bottom stem of the artichokes.  Loosen the leaves carefully and stuff with

    about a teaspoonful of the minced meat mixture. We eyeballed it and used our hands.

    Fill only all the  big outer leaves of the artichokes.  Once you have finished stuffing

    the artichokes, give them a firm but gentle squeeze.

5) Carefully nestle the artichokes tightly together into the tomato sauce.  This will

    keep the artichokes from falling apart during the cooking process.

    Ladle some of the tomato sauce over the artichokes. Cover  with lid ajar. Let

    cook over medium heat for one hour, or until the minced meat is fully cooked and

   the leaves of the artichokes are tender.

HOW TO SERVE AND ENJOY:

Scoop out the artichokes into a shallow sized baking dish or shallow bowl.

Serve first your pasta.  Then place one artichoke into a pasta bowl. Pour a bit

of the delicious savoury marinara sauce over the top.  Give your guests an empty pasta bowl to place their discarded leaves, along with plenty of extra napkins!

Buon Appetito a tutti ! 

Nancy and Franca thank you for watching,

and as always, continue to

LOVE WHAT UEAT 🫶