This recipe for potato-stuffed artichokes belongs to my partner Marco's grandmother, Teresa Tresca. When his family would leave to spend a weekend in the mountains, they'd stop by his grandmother's house to say hello. She'd always surprise them with this dish, its aroma greeting them as they walked up the stairs. The dish never gets old for him.
Photo: Riccardo Lettieri
Nonna's Potato-Stuffed Artichokes
Skill Level: Intermediate
Time 1 hour and 40 minutes
Vegetarian
Ingredients for 4
4 artichokes
4 medium potatoes
4 oz. Grana Padano DOP
4 oz. breadcrumbs
garlic
lemon
salt
parsley
bay leaf
extra-virgin olive oil
Clean the artichokes by removing the outer leaves and hollowing them out in the center.
Cut the stems, peel them until only the hearts remain, and cut them into small pieces. Gradually immerse everything in a bowl of water with lemon juice to prevent them from oxidizing.
Cook the artichoke stems in a saucepan with a drizzle of oil for about 30 minutes.
Peel the potatoes and dig out the center. Cook the potato scrapes for 15 minutes in boiling salted water with a bay leaf.
Blend the boiled potato scraps and the artichoke stems and mix the purée obtained with breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, a tuft of chopped parsley with a piece of garlic, salt, and a drizzle of oil.
Fill the artichokes and potatoes with this mixture, pressing a little inside. Arrange the artichokes and potatoes in a high saucepan that holds them tightly together. Pour water into the pan until the vegetables are half immersed.
Drizzle with oil and bring to a boil. Lower and cook with the pot half-covered for 30-35 minutes.