Make the stuffing: In a medium bowl combine toasted bread crumbs, Sicilian spice blend, fresh minced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese, minced parsley and salt and pepper to taste. (You can also use the pre-mixed Italian toasted bread crumbs and skip the Sicilian Spice Blend) Set Aside.

Wash the artichokes. Cut the stem off the bottom of your artichokes so that it will sit level on the table. Set stems aside. Rub the bottom of your artichoke with the halved lemon and sprinkle on the lemon juice to prevent oxidation.

Remove the bottom 2-3 rows of artichoke leaves with your hands. They should snap of easily. Next use a sharp pair of culinary scissors and trim off the pointed edge of the leaves (about ¼ inch). The purpose is that this can be picky when you eat it, so you want to remove them. Rub lemon all over artichokes to prevent oxidation.

Then set your artichoke on its side and use a sharp knife to trim off the top leaves about 1 inch off the top. Leave the choke inside. Do not remove. Peel the artichoke stems. Rub lemon all over artichokes and stems to prevent oxidation.

Next take your artichoke and gently stretch the ends of the artichoke to make room for the Italian stuffing. Gently pull back each leaf and spoon in a little stuffing in each leaf and a little extra stuffing on top. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil on top.

Stove Top Steaming Method: Find a pot that is wide and deep enough to hold your artichokes that has a tight-fitting cover. You can either use a steaming basket inside the pot, a couple of chopsticks crisscrossed with a plate on top, steamer oven technology or a bamboo steamer. Place enough water on the bottom of the pot so that it comes up to 2 inches up the side of the pot. Put the lid on your pot and steam your Best Italian Stuffed Artichokes for about 25-30 minutes or until a knife easily pierces the heart of the artichoke on the bottom. Your time to steam will depend on the vessel you are using and also the size of your artichokes. (Please note, keep a close eye on the water level in your pot. You may need to add more water during the steaming process. Don’t let your pot go dry)

Instant Pot/ Pressure Cooker Method: After you clean, drizzle with lemon juice, prepare and stuff your Best Italian Stuffed Artichokes, add one 1.5 cups of water to the bottom of your instant pot. Place the basket that came with your instant pot in the instant pot. Put your stuffed artichokes on top of the basket and put the lid on and lock. Set the instant pot to steaming (High pressure) for 9 – 12 minutes depending on how large your artichokes are. Do NOT use the quick release steam function. Instead, use the natural self-release method as this will continue to cook your artichokes. We had 3 large globe artichokes in our 6-quart instant pot. We set it for 11 minutes for 3 large stuffed globe artichokes and they were perfectly tender. We used the natural release for the steam method.

Your Best Italian Stuffed Artichokes can be served warm or at room temperature. Best enjoyed within 3 days. Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

How to eat your stuffed artichokes: Start by peeling the outer leaves off and one by one place the leaf in your mouth and scrape the tender stuffing and artichoke meat off between your teeth. This should keep you out of trouble for a while as there are about 4 layers of leaves to work through. If you remove the leaves and they start getting light in color and they have a purple edging - STOP. You are now close to the choke. Do not eat this part. Instead, get a spoon and scrape off the purple and light-colored leaves and prickled choke. Because the steaming softens this area it will scrape off very easily. Throw the choke and choke leaves away and all you will have left is the prized artichoke heart. Your artichoke heart should be so tender that you can cut with your fork. Enjoy! Chow!