Vegan And Gluten Free Stuffed Artichokes

About two decades ago, I learned how to prepare and eat artichokes. I started out by simply boiling them in salted water until the leaves could easily be plucked off, then serving them with all kinds of dips and bread. Much later I learned that you can also stuff and bake them in the oven. The traditional method uses bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese both of which I opted out of. That’s why I came up with this gluten free and of course vegan version of stuffed artichokes.

You will need:

• an oven safe baking dish, big enough to snugly fit in the stuffed artichokes. I used one with a lid, but you can also use aluminum foil to cover.

Ingredients:

For stuffing:

• generous 1/2 cup (60 g) finely chopped pecan nuts
• 1 cup (3.5 oz/100 g) vegan Parmesan, grated
• 1/2 cup (60 g) chickpea crumbs
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper to taste (I used about 1 tsp)
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano

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• 2 large globe artichokes, thoroughly rinsed (make sure the leaves are clean)
• some lemon juice to brush with
• 3 cloves garlic, halved
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• hot vegetable broth (amount depends on size of artichokes and baking dish/about 1 1/2 – 2 cups)
• more minced parsley and/or sprouts to garnish

• I used homemade ranch dressing as a dip, but this is optional.

Preparation:

In a medium size bowl, use a spoon to combine all the stuffing ingredients. Set aside.

Set oven temperature to 375°F (190°C).

Prepare the artichokes, one at a time. Cut off the stems, then remove the brown ends.

Immediately brush all cut ends with lemon juice or they will turn brown. Peel the stems and also brush with lemon juice.

Remove the bottom row of leaves, then cut off the top 1/3 of the artichoke.

Discard the top part. Use kitchen shears to cut off the tips of each leaf. They are not edible anyway. Now pull the leaves in the center apart. You will see several purple tipped yellowish leaves.

Pull them out. I keep the tender bottom portion of these leaves and use them in the broth, but that’s up to you.

When you look into the center, you will see the fuzzy choke. Use a teaspoon to scrape it out. It looks like this:

Rinse out the center of the artichoke and brush with some more lemon juice.

Now distribute the stuffing evenly among the artichokes. I did that on a cutting board to catch all the stuffing that spilled out. Start in the center and work your way to the outer leaves.

Place artichokes, garlic, and stems into an oven safe dish and drizzle with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Pour hot vegetable broth into the baking dish but not over the artichokes. They should sit in about 3/4 inch of broth. Close the lid or cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 1 hour. The artichokes are done when you can easily pluck off an outer leaf without too much resistance. Start checking after about 50 minutes.

When they are almost done, bake another 10 minutes uncovered to achieve a nicely browned crust.

Garnish with parsley and/or sprouts.

This is finger food, so don’t even try to use any other tools. To eat, start from the outside and pluck off one leaf/petal at a time. Dip the pulpy bottom part into your sauce or dip, if you use one, and scrape it off between your teeth. The best parts are always the tender heart and stem. Enjoy!

Notes:

• Since you only eat the pulpy base of each leaf/petal, you need another dish next to your serving plate to discard the rest.
• We had 2 artichokes for 2 servings. So, depending on how many servings you need, you can easily double or triple the recipe.
• I served these stuffed artichokes with a salad and homemade ranch dressing as a main dish and found them to be filling enough. You can also serve them as an appetizer or a side dish of course.
• This is the vegan Parmesan cheese I used this time, but there are other brands that work just as well.