Spring Artichokes with Lemon Rice are braised in lemon then stuffed with a delightful mix of lemon rice, minced pork sausage, garlic, onions and fresh herbs and topped off with a little parmesan cheese and baked in the oven until the cheese is melty.
Celebrating Spring with Spring Artichokes with Lemon Rice
We love this recipe because it is a complete meal with a delicious special treat of small tender spring artichokes. It is almost like two treats in one with the delicious lemon rice with sausage and cheese and then an outer layer of delicious artichokes to dig right into.
Fresh Artichokes
Spring has sprung and it is time to eat seasonally and now is the time to make some dishes with some fresh artichokes. Looking at fresh artichokes reminds me of my last visit to Italy and visiting the markets with their bounty of fresh vegetables. Visiting the wet market when traveling always inspires me to cook.
There were so many varieties of artichokes and of course all of them had a beautiful long stem. Did you know there are at least 9 different types of artichokes? There is the baby anzio, big heart, classic green globe, siena, mercury, omaha, fiesole, chianti, king. Of course, as we are not all blessed to live in Italy so we have only a few that might be available to us. The big heart and the classic green globe are 2 types artichokes that work well for stuffing artichokes.
Artichokes in the spring reminds me of living at home and having a very special treat with Mom's Best Italian Stuffed Artichokes that are steamed whole until tender perfection.
Maybe it is just me but I feel that all of that stuffing on the sides of the artichoke is a bit too rich and almost takes away from the tender sweetness of the actual artichoke. In addition there is that whole "choke" thing in the middle that can really freak out anyone less than 10 years of age and a big mess a the table as your guests try to carefully remove the choke without impaling themselves.
I have made a lightened up version of Spring Artichokes with Lemon Rice with fresh lemons and herbs and is gluten-free too. I have removed the choke and cleaned up the artichoke so all that is left are the tender center hearts of the artichokes and the tender artichoke leaves that are drizzled with the fresh lemon juice.
Lemons are a requirement when working with Artichokes
Lemon juice is your friend when working with fresh artichokes. When you cut into an artichoke, the oxidation process will cause browning. To prevent this problem soak your freshly cut artichokes into a bath of lemon water. The more lemons the better. In addition the lemons give the artichokes a fresh flavor.
You do not have to use pork sausage in this recipe, however this was my attempt to get picky teenagers to try something new. Maybe you want to make your version vegan then you could really mix it up a bit and add some fresh veggies or maybe add some olives and capers too. If you have a lactose intolerance you could skip the addition of parmesan cheese and just only braise your artichokes with the filling inside. I chose to bake my artichokes after putting in the lemon rice filling and topping with cheese so that the cheese would get melty and I could have a little crispy topping.
However, you could also make the entire Spring Artichokes with Lemon Rice dish in one big pot with a lid and braise it if you like your stuffing soft and supple. The choice is totally yours.
More Delicious Spring Menu Recipe Ideas
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One Sheet Pan Dilly Lemon Salmon
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Spring Artichokes with Lemon Rice
Ingredients
- 3 whole lemons
- water
enough to fill up to at least 1 inch in pot - 2 artichokes
large washed with stems - ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
(1 tablespoon for lemon rice and one for drizzling on top just before baking) - 2 links Italian sausage
removed from casing (can use mild or hot depending on your preference)- optional - ½ onions
peeled and chopped - 2 cloves garlic
peeled and minced - 3 cups basmati rice
cooked (day old left over rice works great- can also use brown rice, wild rice, etc) - salt and black pepper
to taste - 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 green onions
chopped - 2 tbsp flat parsley chopped
- ½ cup tomato
chopped - optional - ¼ cup parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- In a pan add enough water so that it is about 1 inch high and squeeze 2 of the lemons in the water bath.
- Wash the artichokes and then using kitchen scissors trim off any of the hard ends and broken ends of the leaves. Next, cut the the artichokes in half lengthwise. whilst you are working with one half of the artichoke put the other half in the lemon water to prevent it from turning brown. Using a melon baller or spoon, scoop out the prickly choke and keep the tender heart intact. Trim the stem as desired. Immediately plunge the artichoke into the lemon bath. Repeat process with other half and other artichoke.
- Put salt in the lemon bath water and put the artichokes heart side down in the pan and put a lid on a simmer for about 25-30 minutes or until just fork tender. Pre-heat your oven to 190 degree C/375 degrees F.
- While your artichokes are braising in the lemon water on top of the stove, prepare your lemon rice mixture. In a frying pan or wok, add olive oil, the sausage (removed from casing) and cook about 3-5 minutes or until no longer pink, add onions and cook until translucent, add garlic and cook just until aromatic, add cooked rice, salt and pepper to taste, lemon zest, green onions, flat parsley, and tomato and stir until well combined. Set aside.
- Remove the braised artichokes from the pan carefully and place with the heart side scooped side up in a greased oven safe dish. Spoon the lemon rice mixture into the 4 artichokes halves and top with parmesan cheese and drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melty and the rice mixture is just a little crunchy on top. Remove Artichokes with a Lemon Rice Filling from the oven and drizzle a little fresh lemon juice on top. Garnish with fresh tomatoes and parsley.
- Serve Artichokes with a Lemon Rice Filling hot out of the oven with a nice tossed salad.
Yum Bam, these look delicious ! I love artichokes and get them very infrequently here in Singapore, and when I do, it's usually done the same way - baked with garlic and oil. Next time I am lucky enough to find them I will try this ! I love the idea of stuffing them.
This looks so yummy Bam - I adore artichokes in pretty much every shape and form. I tried stuffing them once and it turned out disastrously... well, not too bad, but difficult to eat, but it was because I stuffed them "whole", top down. I never thought of splitting them like this... great idea!
Artichokes for some reason are one of the hardest vegetables to prepare for me....but I like the idea of using them stuffed and that lemon rice sounds delicious! 😉
Oh my Gosh! I so love artichokes! I wish I could have some now! Yummy!!!!
Wow, what an elegant dish using artichoke.....
fresh artichoke is pretty damn pricey here in Indonesia, good job Bam!!!
I'm craving artichokes and haven't seen them in the store just yet. What a delicious way to prepare them and I love your step by step instructions on handling them.
A lovely reminder of your trip to Italy! And I'm saving this recipe for when the artichokes are on the allotment as it will be perfect for using them up - I'll adapt your recipe to make a veggie one, but I bet the sausage meat is tasty!
I love artichokes but my family is not so into it, so I usually order anything if artichokes are in it at restaurants (especially nice restaurants whey they cook unique way). This is lovely! I love how you pair up with lemon/citrus flavor!
I am surprised there are so many varieties of artichokes! I had no idea.. because the ones we get are small little hard knobby creatures;) Yours are so fresh and tender looking.. what a fantastic dish this must have been. If we EVER get spring.. and fresh market artichokes.. I will try some of your vegan versions:) Not because we're vegan, but trying to make more meatless dinners these days:) xx
I adore artichokes and this recipe looks amazing! I love the lemon rice - I bet it pairs perfectly with those artichokes! Yum!
Artichokes and lemon rice?
Sounds like heaven to me. Love this light and delightful looking spring time dish!
My husband and I LOVE LOVE LOVE artichokes! What a great recipe!
Buona sera, BAM! These artichokes sound delicious and you described the way Mom cooked artichokes pretty much every time. I did know that there were many more varieties of artichokes in Italy than are available here. If I remember correctly, only 2 varieties are grown here, mostly in California. I'm more likely to use small "baby" artichokes when I cook, sidestepping the the choke mess altogether. Even so, your lemon rice filling sounds good enough that I just might brave the choke and go for it. I should probably have a cocktail first to steady my resolve. 😉
When I start to see the artichoke recipes I know Spring has arrived this looks wonderful. It's funny, and no one ever believes it, but I have never cooked artichokes, clearly a deficit in my culinary training. Your directions are super clear, and I think I can do this! I eat them, but somehow I never got started cooking them. Thanks for this. I know my Italian friends will flip for this one!
I have never had artichokes, but your pictures are making me drool!!!
Hi Bam,
This looks amazing! I love how you have shown pics to clean the fresh artichoke. I always use the frozen artichokes.
Wish we lived closer, would be over at your place every other day to eat some of your fantastic food!
Looks and sounds delicious! I have not tried this combination before and this is making me hungry!
YUM!
What a delicious looking recipe. I love artichoke but I have never cooked with a fresh one before. I will have to try it out with this recipe, all my favourite flavours in one recipe.
Good afternoon from cold, cold New York State in the USA, BAM. I looked several times but am not seeing it--how many is this serving? The artichokes don't seem very big, but to accommodate 3 cups of cooked rice and the other ingredients, they'd have to be quite large. Sounds delicious. BTW, BAM, in spite of the cold, I noticed today that there are a few crocus leaves and tulips leaves peaking up out of the ground in my garden. Yay!
I love how creative you are with your recipes! Loving the sound of this!
Lemony cheesy goodness, you had outdone yourself
What a great looking artichoke dish! I love the way you made this into a meal of its own, the star attraction 🙂
Aren't you the thoughtful one clipping the prickly tips off the leaves (I have to admit to letting people fend for themselves most times). You always seem to post right onto my grocery list - just had my husband pick up a couple of artichokes & I was going to do the cheese & bread crumbs but I also happen to have a tad bit of hamburger that needs to be used. I think I've found another winner - thank you.
Your artichokes sound delicious…I've never stuffed mine with meat and must give it a try.