Ingredients Print

Check off ingredients as you go

Makes 12 artichoke bottoms

• 12 frozen artichoke bottoms
• 250 g (9 oz) ground beef (minced beef)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, halved, germ removed and minced
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro (coriander), chopped
• 2 Tbsp mint leaves, chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ras el hanout (North African spice blend)
• Salt, pepper
• A little flour

For the pea sauce

• 250 g (9 oz) frozen peas
• 1 Tbsp dill or mint
• 1 tsp turmeric
• about 500 ml (2 cups) vegetable or meat stock

If you change the number of serving, consider adjusting cooking times!

Making the filling

1. Put all the filling ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

2. Fill each artichoke bottom with 1 or 2 tablespoons of filling, depending on its size, pressing down firmly so the filling doesn’t come loose.

3. Put a little flour in a bowl and lightly flour all the artichokes, tapping off the excess.

Cooking the stuffed artichokes

4. In a sauté pan wide enough to hold the artichoke bottoms in a single layer, heat 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil and brown the artichoke bottoms for a few moments on each side (use a large spoon to turn them without damaging the filling).

5. Turn all the artichokes filling side up, add the stock and turmeric, and season with salt. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour. The artichokes will be meltingly tender and the sauce nicely reduced.

Serve with the peas and rice or small pasta.

Variations

• To make the pea sauce, simply boil the peas for 2 minutes in boiling water, drain, then add them to the artichoke bottoms along with 1 Tbsp olive oil, the turmeric and the dill.

• For a vegetarian version, make a filling by replacing the meat with 2 raw eggs mixed with 2 crumbled hard-boiled eggs and some breadcrumbs.

• You can use this filling to stuff other vegetables, such as zucchini.