artichoke: a tall Mediterranean composite herb resembling a thistle with coarse pinnately incised leaves; also: its edible immature flower head which is cooked as a vegetable

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I grew up eating stuffed artichokes that my grandmother lovingly prepared several times a year. Many of you are familiar with the artichoke hearts found in cans or jars and used in dips or in casseroles. And some of you may even enjoy eating a simple steamed/boiled artichoke whose leaves are dipped in butter and lemon juice. Fewer people are familiar with my grandmother’s method. She took the steamed artichoke one step further and stuffed it with simple yummy ingredients and then baked it in the oven.

It was a delicacy that none of my peers understood. Most of them were “grossed out” at the thought of eating a giant thistle. At age seven I was skilled in the technique. Plucking a petal from the green thistle, I’d tightly place it between my teeth, fleshy side down and pull through to remove the soft meaty delicious portion of the petal. Once I got to the heart,
it became a little tricky.  Using a spoon, grandma taught me to gently but firmly scoop out the fuzzy choke from the center of the artichoke.

Let’s start with some very basic ingredients.

•  a few artichokes of course

•  Romano cheese, grated or cut into small chunks

•  chopped fresh garlic cloves

•  bread crumbs

•  salt and pepper

Cut the stems from the artichoke. With kitchen scissors, trim the prickly tips from each leaf. Wash and prepare them for boiling in a large pot of water. Or if you prefer, they can be steamed or even prepared in a pressure cooker. No matter which way be sure to add to the water, a hefty shot of olive oil and a few cloves of garlic. Steam or boil for 25-35 minutes, or until the petals can easily be pulled from the globe. Don’t over-boil or they get mushy and they still have baking to do which will soften them as well.

Once the artichokes are boiled, strain them upside down for several minutes, allowing all the water to drip from between the petals. Generously load each choke with chunks of garlic and Romano cheese stuffing between as many petals as you can.  Transfer into a casserole dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs between the petals. Drizzle olive oil over the tops and sides. sprinkle a little salt and grind fresh pepper over each globe. Cover and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes.


The artichoke easily pulls apart when it is well done. The cheese melts into the baked garlic and bread crumbs. The combination is so wonderfully Italian!

I introduced my kids to my grandmother’s creation when they were just toddlers. I’ve also impressed many dinner guests with her stuffed  artichokes. Occasionally I see them on a restaurant menu, but they rarely meet my expectations. MANGIA!

Tiramisu (and time with Nelly!) - Tuscan Corner

Another installment in Jane Adam's Tuscan Corner series.  I love this one and especially like the side story about Nelly.  Jane has a Nelly and I have a Nellie.  Both create havoc in our lives, but as you will see in this story....Jane wins this round!

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Mmmmm Tiramisu. Just looking at it breaks two of my new year resolutions! It’s delicious layers oozing with marscarpone cheese, coffee liquor, and intimidation! As much as I enjoy this rich and decadent dessert, I had never attempted to make it until recently because it seemed like so much work.  But I promised Jodi a blog, even if it is two weeks late!

It’s truly not difficult to create this dessert that will impress your friends and family. Moreso it’s time consuming and requires some organization because there are a few steps involved, especially if you bake your own Lady Fingers. The day I made tiramisu, I was frazzled, distracted and my kitchen looked like a batter bomb had exploded. Our very intuitive Chihuahua, Nelly realized I was deeply engrossed in this project and took that opportunity to misbehave... which ties in nicely with my Italian theme. You’ve heard of dogs that hunt for truffles? Sneaking into my bedroom closet she found several chocolate truffle bars I had been saving for stocking stuffers. Mid tiramisu mission, I began noticing her odd behavior (she rejected her dinner) as she was most likely suffering from indigestion and a serious caffeine buzz. She had consumed three four ounce bars and was hoarding a fourth for later when we discovered the empty wrappers. (Worried, I stayed up with her until 3:00 a.m. and the dog didn’t even vomit.) However considering she totally misunderstood the difference between truffle the fungi and truffle the chocolate, I don’t believe The Truffle Institute of Tuscany* will be calling her to lead any truffle hunting excursions in Italy.

The wrappers: evidence of Nelly's truffle caper

But I digress.... Pay close attention to my next words of advice: There are shortcuts one can take to make this dessert a manageable task besides securing your chocolate bars from small truffle sniffing dogs. Making Lady Fingers from scratch IS NOT necessary! I clearly had been hit on the head by a circa 1950 Betty Crocker cookbook when I fell victim to these words: “Lady Fingers: These little sponge cakes are the building blocks of tiramisu. Practice your piping skills and make them at home!” Forget it! Buy them! Preferably from Cascio’s! Nobody will know the difference and it will save you much time, aggravation and mess.

  Tiramisu 

Filling

•                1 1/2 cups espresso or triple-strength regular coffee at room temperature

•                1/2 cup sugar

•                1/4 cup brandy (I substituted coffee liqueur and it was delicious)

•                2 egg yolks,

•                1 pound mascarpone cheese

•                One 8 ounce package ladyfingers (see even the recipe says BUY them)

•                4 ounces semisweet chocolate, shaved. (Keep this away from small dogs)  (Jodi's warning: Nelly)

The Icing

•                1 cup fresh whipping cream

•                1/4 teaspoon vanilla

•                2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Preparation:

Stir the espresso, sugar, and brandy (or coffee liqueur) together in a mixing bowl until the sugar dissolves. Remove 1/3 cup of the coffee mixture to another bowl and set the remainder aside. Whisk the egg yolks into the 1/3 cup of coffee. Add the marscarpone and whisk together just until smooth. Do not over-mix or it will separate.

Line the inside of a 91/2 x 51/2 inch loaf pan with a large sheet of wax paper. Tuck the wax paper into the corners of the pan - being careful not to tear it.

Dip the ladyfingers one at a time into the reserved coffee mixture and begin to place them crosswise in the lined pan. The lady fingers should be soaked with coffee and will expand a little. This will only take a few seconds; be sure not to soak them so long that they fall apart. Continue with more ladyfingers, lining the bottom of the pan lengthwise with them. Trim if they don't fit exactly.

Spread on half the cheese mixture. Sprinkle with 2 ounces of the shaved chocolate.

Layer again in the same manner with 7 more ladyfingers, the remaining cheese mixture and the remaining chocolate. Top the loaf pan off with the remaining soaked ladyfingers. Fold the wax paper up around the top of the pan and cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 hours (I've refrigerated it overnight with fine results.)

Invert the chilled loaf pan onto a serving platter and tap the bottom of the pan to remove the loaf. Remove the wax paper.

Whisk the cream, vanilla and confectioner's sugar until stiff. Spread this icing over the cake and top it off with a dusting of cocoa powder and shaved chocolate.

For those of you who like to make things from scratch and enjoy the extra mess, I have included a simple recipe for the Lady Fingers. But don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Ingredients

•           4 eggs, separated

•           2/3 cup white sugar

•           7/8 cup all-purpose flour

•           1/2 teaspoon baking powder

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Directions

1.        Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Line two 17 x 12 inch baking sheets with baking parchment. Fit large pastry bag with a plain 1/2 inch round tube.

2.        Place egg whites in bowl and beat on high until soft peaks start to form. Slowly add 2 tablespoons of the sugar and continue beating until stiff and glossy. In another bowl beat egg yolks and remaining sugar. Whip until thick and very pale in color.

3.        Sift flour and baking powder together on a sheet of wax paper. Fold half the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Fold in flour, and then add the remaining egg whites. Transfer mixture to pastry bag and pipe out onto prepared baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes.

*Totally fabricated institute!