- 4 artichokes (3 to 4 in. wide)
- 4 tablespoons Safeway SELECT Verdi White Wine Vinegar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 cup seasoned fine dried bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup Safeway SELECT Verdi Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 5 tablespoons Safeway SELECT Verdi Olive Oil
- Lucerne Sweet Cream Butter, melted, for dipping
- Lemon wedges
- Cut thorny tips off artichoke leaves, trim stems, and pare away fibrous green layers from bottoms. As you work, drop trimmed artichokes into a bowl filled with water and lemon juice.
- Fill an 8- to 12-quart pan half full with water. Add vinegar, salt, and peppercorns. Cover pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove artichokes from lemon water and add artichokes to boiling water; cover, reduce heat, and simmer until artichoke bottoms pierce easily, about 35 minutes. Place a heavy, heat resistant plate or pan lid into the pot to keep artichokes from bobbing, if necessary.
- With tongs, carefully transfer each artichoke to a large colander. Arrange them upside down to drain. Let stand until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes, then invert and gently squeeze to extract all remaining water.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, and 4 tablespoons of the olive oil until blended. Add more oil, a tablespoon at a time, if mixture seems dry.
- Arrange artichokes, right side up, in a lightly oiled 9 by 13 inch baking pan. With your fingers, gently open the outer artichoke leaves slightly to create pockets (leaves in center are too tightly clustered to open). Using a small spoon, tuck small amounts of bread crumb filling into as many pockets as possible; divide filling evenly among artichokes. Sprinkle a few crumbs over the top of each artichoke. Drizzle remaining tablespoon of olive oil equally over filled artichokes.
- Bake artichokes until crumbs are browned and artichokes are hot throughout, about 30 minutes. To serve, offer hot artichokes with melted butter and lemon wedges that diners can squeeze into butter to taste.
- To eat, break off leaves, scoop up crumbs, and dip leaves with crumbs in lemon butter. When you have eaten all the leaves except the tender cluster in the center, carefully separate it from the base (or heart) with a fork or your fingers. Scrape off and discard the fuzzy choke from the heart, then eat the heart.