Stuffed Artichookes: Part two, the good part

After the manual labor of cleaning the artichoke you now get to stuff, cook and eat them...trust me, its worth it and whoever you make these for will really appreciate it...and by appreciate I do mean do the dishes.Measurements below vary by the size of the artichoke and how much you want to stuff them, I tend to overdo it


Stuffing:

• Panko or traditional breadcrumbs - 1/3 or 1/2 cup per artichoke
• Grated Parmesan cheese - 1 table spoon per artichoke
• Eggs - 1 for every 2 artichoke
• Pancetta lardons - 1 tablespoon per artichoke
• Chopped parsley - 1 or 2 tablespoon per artichoke
• Chopped shallots  - 1 tablespoon per artichoke
• Finely chopped onion - 1 or 2 tablespoon per artichoke
• Chopped garlic - 1 or 2 cloves per artichoke
• Olive oil
• A pinch of Lemon zest
• Red pepper flakes
• 1 quart chicken or vegetable stock

Stuffing

Pre-heat oven to 275

1. Saute pancetta till lightly browned and allow some of the fat to melt, add onions, shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes.  Saute over medium/low heat for about 10 mins, till onions are soft, chill mixture
2. Once onion mixture is chilled, add to breadcrumbs, cheese, add parsley, eggs, black pepper and a pinch of lemon zest, drizzle with a little olive oil if it needs more moisture
3. To stuff, start with outer leaves, adding a large pinch or 1/2 teaspoon for every other or every third leaf (depending on preference), move in to the middle separating leaves and placing small amounts in between leaves
4. Place stuffed artichokes and cleaned steps in a deep baking dish, pour in chicken stock, bringing liquid halfway up the side of the artichoke
5. Bake for about 2 hours, or till outer leaves are tender, baste with the pan juices ever 30 mins, pouring over the stuffing.  Add a few tablespoons of butter halfway through baking (trust me, it ads something awesome to the stuffing)
6. Remove when the stuffing is a bit crispy on top

Serve with crusty bread and an oaky Chardonnay