Most my blogs are random thoughts that just sort of come in and out of my mind as do so many other things in this life; this blog however, thanks to the age of info-saturation and social networking came to me from a friend that I had not seen in over 17 years.
I can honestly tell you that this simple recipe changed the direction of my life and I owe all that I have to a simple little artichoke.
As I grow older and remember the people that have come and gone in my life, one person that sticks in my mind was Joey. It was during that 18ish part of life when we are not exactly sure what we want to do or what we want to be, but through pressures from those around us, a decision has to be made. Joe was my friend that always seemed to help me avoid any such serious decision making and focus on having fun at all expenses. …mostly others'...
You see, I always knew that I could cook and knew it was something I liked to do, but never thought that it was something I would build my life upon. I was going to be a rock star, but after I realized that I could not play an instrument nor knew how to sing I started getting a little nervous on where my life was going. Until one day, I walked into Joe’s house and headed towards the kitchen.
This was like no kitchen I have ever witnessed in my life. It was an Italian kitchen! The aromas of the sauces that had been simmering all day on the stove, fresh breads, the steaming kettles for pasta and all that it comes with. When asked by his mother if I would like to stay for dinner, I said, “of course!” Before I could dive into the pasta, I was served an appetizer. After having to ask what it was, I found it to be a stuffed Artichoke. ???
In my house the appetizer was the bag of chips I ate two hours before dinner. This was a green spiny looking thing that I had no idea on how to even approach, much less eat. I remember first thinking that there is no way that I would like this thing. Watching Joes father peel off a leaf and take a bite off the end, I figured I would take a try.
…Now I could go on and on about what was going through my mind and the new sensations that my taste buds were going through, but the fact is looking back I realized that at this one moment in time was when the direction of my life changed. I no longer was worried about my future and what I was going to be, for I knew right then that food was going to be my life.
A few years later, Joe and I lost track of each other like friends do as life changes its seasons, but working in a kitchen, I can honestly say not a day goes by when I do not think of that recipe. Whether I am making pasta or doing inventory of my dry storage goods; every time I see an artichoke, I remember that particular artichoke and wish I had the recipe.
I ran into Joe and his sister a few years back and told them the story of how I became a chef and how their mother's cooking inspired me. Mary shared the recipe so I could share it with you. The recipe is not a hard recipe, but it reminds me that in life, it is important to stop once in a while and look around at all we have.
Hope you all have a great Spring and a wonderful Summer and I hope to see you all in the Vineyard!
Stuffed Artichoke per Mary (Joe’s sister) in her words:
Remove stem from choke so they can stand upright in the pot.
Turn choke upside down and hit a couple of times on the board to open
Remove thorns and any discolored outer leaves - remove the fuzzy inner stuff with a spoon - dig in!
It's a good idea to rub the choke with lemon juice - prevents them from discoloration.
Make a mixture of Italian breadcrumbs and parm cheese - I just eyeball it. Obviously more crumbs than cheese . Sprinkle into the chokes.
Stand chokes in pot - add water half way up - drizzle olive oil over chokes - add a little olive oil to the water - I also add two/three cloves of garlic to the water for extra flavor.
Sprinkle a little parm over each choke - makes a nice top crust.
Bring to boil, reduce to simmer. For large chokes - about a half hr. I just pull a leaf to test.
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