Gastronomer

Egyptian Stuffed Artichokes

 

This dish is a real crowd pleaser that can be served as a main dish or as a starter. It does require a bit of effort to assemble but the end results are worth the time. This dish pairs well with a dry white wine such as a Chardonnay or a Rosè.

 

INGREDIENTS

4 artichokes (try to choose ones that do not have too many brown spots on them)

1 lemon

1 cup of cooked ground lamb

1 finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon of Olive oil

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

15 oz can of low sodium tomatoes

TT pepper

TT salt

 

Béchamel :

2 tablespoons of butter or Olive oil

1 cup of milk

1/4 cup of flour

Pinch of all spice

TT salt

TT pepper

 

Directions

Add oil and spice to pan.  Sauté until spice are aromatic. Add onions and sauté until translucent

Add ground lamb cook until done around 5-6 minutes. Drain off any excess oil then return meat to the pan. Add tomatoes.

 

To prepare the artichokes:

Cut off exterior leaves (top and bottom) until you get to the heart - what the leaves are attached to at the base.  Cut off the top of the artichoke. Scoop out all the hairs in the artichoke; they are probably purplish in color. Bring to boil a medium sized pot with water, a pinch of salt and two or three slices of lemon.Add the artichokes to the boiling water. Leave them to cook until you can easily pass a knife through one of them (about 10 minutes).

 

Béchamel sauce:

On medium heat, add butter or olive oil to a pot.   When butter has melted, add milk to pot   Keep stirring milk and butter until it is hot; but not boiling.  With a whisk or fork, add a bit of the flour stirring vigorously.  Keep stirring until all the flour is added. The sauce will thicken up once everything has dissolved.  Remove from the heat. 

 

To assemble:

Drain the filling In a lightly greased casserole dish, arrange the cooked artichokes in the dish.  Fill artichokes with Tomato lamb mixture.  Cover each stuffed artichoke with béchamel.  Bake at 350 degree for 10-15 minutes or until they are golden.