fresh spinach

Seafood Stuffed Artichokes

Artichokes, any way you cook them are simply a treat because they are a seasonal veggie here on the east coast. 100 percent of all artichokes that are commercially grown in the U.S. come from California where you can pretty much buy them year round. My artichoke recipe is a tasty concoction of shrimp, sea scallops, fresh spinach, mushrooms, onion, garlic, Reggiano Parmesan, bread crumbs, red wine, extra dry vermouth and chicken broth. They are a lot of work granted but it’s not like you make these all the time and once you taste them you’ll want to set aside time in the future to plan for these babies!

The Artichoke is actually a relative of the thistle so if you ever see one fully mature they open into this incredibly gorgeous giant purple flower. That’s where the choke comes in because it’s a cluster of immature florets at the center of the artichoke which is not edible. This hairy-like choke in the center MUST be removed when you stuff them. I show you how to prep the artichokes and scrape out that choke in the photos below. This seafood stuffed artichoke recipe is delicious with my sun-dried tomato aioli sauce for dunking the leaf ends and heart and you can make this aioli dip a couple of days ahead. After these stuffed artichokes you may need a sweets recipe that you can make the day before like pavlova with fresh pineapple and berries, or chocolate-avocado mousse.

Ingredients – Serves 4 People at 1 Stuffed Artichoke Each:

• 1 recipe of sun-dried tomato aioli sauce
• 4 large artichokes
• 3 large sea scallops cut into 1/2″ pieces
• 10 lg shrimp cut into 1/2″ pieces (about 1/2 lb)
• 3 strips of Boars Head Bacon
• 6 button mushroom caps sliced thinly and then chopped
• 6 oz. fresh spinach leaves coarsely chopped (a handful less than a bag)
• 1/2 large spanish onion or Vidalia onion finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves put thru the garlic press
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan
• 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp red wine (1/4 cup to deglaze onion/mushroom mixture and 2 Tbsp in the stuffing and 1/4 in baking dish with vermouth and chicken broth)
• 3/4 cup dry vermouth
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 Tsp salt (1 Tsp for boiling the artichokes)
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Fill a large bowl with cold water and sliced up lemon
2. Cut the ends off of the artichokes
3. Cut 1  1/2 ” off the top
4. Using your thumbs in the center of the artichoke pull apart as much as you can to loosen the inner layers a little
5. Insert pointy spoon and begin to dig in to the center removing the purple pointy leaves and keep digging til you reach the hairy choke and then remove all of that too
6. Rinse the center holes of the artichokes to fully remove any left over choke
7. Always keep the all the artichokes in the lemon water bowl while working on them (it helps them from not turning too brown)
8. Pour the whole bowl of lemon water and artichokes into a large pan and add 1 tsp salt
9. Bring to a boil ( this will take about 15 minutes) and then simmer for 30 minutes
10. Drain Artichokes and turn them upside down in a baking dish to further drain
11. Cook up 3 pieces of Boars Head Bacon til crispy, chop and set aside
12. Sauté the chopped onion, mushrooms caps and garlic cloves put thru press in 2 Tbsp of olive oil, 1 Tbsp butter, and 1/2 Tsp salt til golden about 12-15 minutes
13. Add in 1/4 cup red wine to de-glaze pan, let reduce for 1 minute
14. Add in fresh chopped spinach and cover for 2 minutes
15. Mix spinach with tongs and take sauteed onion/mushroom/spinach mixture off of the stove  and put into a fresh bowl to let cool
16. Wash, dry and chop sea scallops and shrimp to 1/2″ pieces
17. When onion/mushroom mixture is cooled add in scallops, shrimp, Gruyere, Parmesan, chopped bacon, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper and 2 Tbsp red wine
18. Mix items gently together
19. Turn artichoke over in baking dish, drain any water left over at the bottom
20. Stuff the artichokes with the seafood stuffing making sure to add in to all the layers of leaves going around the artichoke as shown in the photo
21. When the artichoke is stuffed add in 3/4 cup extra-dry vermouth, 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/4 cup red wine to the bottom of the baking dish
22. Cover the Artichokes with foil and bake for 35 minutes
23. Take Foil off and bake 5 minutes more
24. Serve with sun-dried aioli sauce on the side for dipping the leaves and dunking the heart …mangia!