2 whole fresh artichokes
1/2 lb ground beef--or--about 1 C. finely crushed italian-seasoned bread crumbs*
8 oz. tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. oregano
1 stalk celery, minced
1/2 of an onion, minced
cooking oil
Preheat oven to 350F. Clean the artichokes and cut the prickers off the tips of the leaves, then slice the bottoms flat so that they will sit up in the baking dish. Remove the heart. In a skillet, saute the celery and onion. Drain. Brown the beef. Add in the remaining ingredients to the skillet, excepting the tomato sauce. Let the meat mixture cool slightly, then press walnut- (or so) sized portions into the concave portion of each leaf. Place the artichokes in a greased baking pan, then spoon any remaining meat filling and the tomato sauce over the top. Place another baking pan half-filled with water into the bottom rack of the oven. Place the pan with the artichokes on the other oven rack, placed in the middle rung of the oven. Bake them for 20 minutes, or until the artichokes are tender.
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How to eat a stuffed artichoke: Each person gets one artichoke. Pull one leaf at a time off your artichoke and suck the meat filling off the leaf. Grab the leaf between your teeth and tear off the plant flesh, leaving a fibrous and inedible outer skin behind. (I don't know how else to describe it.) Repeat. I include this information so that the uninformed will not be tempted to think that the artichoke is just a fancy holder for ground beef and not an actual part of the dish. You're supposed to eat the artichoke too. It's a process that is messy and involved and possibly requires an adult bib, like when you're eating lobster or just have big boobs and don't want to go through life wearing your lunch on your chest.
1/2 lb ground beef--or--about 1 C. finely crushed italian-seasoned bread crumbs*
8 oz. tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. oregano
1 stalk celery, minced
1/2 of an onion, minced
cooking oil
Preheat oven to 350F. Clean the artichokes and cut the prickers off the tips of the leaves, then slice the bottoms flat so that they will sit up in the baking dish. Remove the heart. In a skillet, saute the celery and onion. Drain. Brown the beef. Add in the remaining ingredients to the skillet, excepting the tomato sauce. Let the meat mixture cool slightly, then press walnut- (or so) sized portions into the concave portion of each leaf. Place the artichokes in a greased baking pan, then spoon any remaining meat filling and the tomato sauce over the top. Place another baking pan half-filled with water into the bottom rack of the oven. Place the pan with the artichokes on the other oven rack, placed in the middle rung of the oven. Bake them for 20 minutes, or until the artichokes are tender.
_______
How to eat a stuffed artichoke: Each person gets one artichoke. Pull one leaf at a time off your artichoke and suck the meat filling off the leaf. Grab the leaf between your teeth and tear off the plant flesh, leaving a fibrous and inedible outer skin behind. (I don't know how else to describe it.) Repeat. I include this information so that the uninformed will not be tempted to think that the artichoke is just a fancy holder for ground beef and not an actual part of the dish. You're supposed to eat the artichoke too. It's a process that is messy and involved and possibly requires an adult bib, like when you're eating lobster or just have big boobs and don't want to go through life wearing your lunch on your chest.
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