Springtime a few years back, while sitting in the soft spring sunshine with a backdrop of pink blossoms on the nectarine tree, Sofia shared her recipe for stuffed artichokes. I always loved watching Ma talk about food. Her eyes would sparkle and she would talk animatedly in a mixture of Greek and English, miming the steps of the recipe for me. Every now and then she would pause and say, “katalava Ketinoula?” – do you understand?
Mostly I did and where we got stuck on a word, either Kosta or Baba would pop their heads up from the patch where they were picking broad beans to translate and pass on a fresh broad bean for us to nibble.
Sofia’s kitchen was always seasonal. Ma was a firm believer that seasons provide exactly what the body needs. With the coming of spring, Ma was keen to ensure that I had moved from cooking the hearty bean soups of winter to lighter springtime dishes using all of the beautiful seasonal greens. While we talked, Kosta moved on from picking broad beans to cutting big bunches of radiki with an old bread knife. Out came the bucket and the garden hose and he washed all of the greens for his mum. “He is a good boy” Ma said with her sparkling eyes and I happily agreed.
Sofia’s recipe for stuffed artichokes is not one you would commonly find across Greece. It is uniquely Zakynthian and one she recreated from her childhood memories. Sofia would advise that it is best made early in the Spring when the artichokes and broad beans are young and tender. It was always my firm favourite and while Sofia generously shared her recipe with me, she would also often make it for us during the week in the spring time knowing that office hours do not always easily lend themselves to cleaning and preparing artichokes. I would get that call in the early afternoon saying, “Ketinoula – I have something special for you. Come by after work…”. And special indeed it always was.
Sofia's Zakynthian Stuffed Artichokes
Ingredients
- 6 Fresh artichokes
- 3 tbsp Carolina rice
- 3 tbsp Bonnet rice
- 3 tbsp White onion finely chopped or grated
- 2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- 3 tbsp Fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 wine glass Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 kg Fresh ripe tomatoes grated
- 1/2 kg Fresh broad beans and some podded and small ones left in the pod
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Sofia's chili puree to taste
- 1 bowl of water with the juice of 1 lemon squeezed in for preparing the artichokes
Instructions
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Peel the artichokes and remove the hard outer leaves and stalks, so that the base is flat. Gently prise the artichoke open and remove some the inner leaves and the 'lint' at the choke, creating a cup for the rice. Place the prepared artichokes in the bowl of lemon water to stop them from going brown.
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In a seperate bowl, mix the rice together with the onion, dill and garlic. Add a little of the grated tomato and some of the extra virgin olive oil. Then add a little salt and pepper to taste. Remove the artichokes from the water and quickly dry. Fill the artichoke cups with the rice mixture.
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Add a little of the olive oil to a heavy based pot. Add a half of the broad beans. Then, place the filled artichokes in the pot, so that they sit upright and closely together. Place any remaining broad beans over the top of the artichokes. Add the grated tomato, the rest of the olive oil and a little more salt and pepper to taste. Also add the chilli puree if using. Add a little water, so the tomato mixture comes up to the top of the artichokes. Cover and bring to a gentle simmer until the artichokes are tender and the rice is cooked (around 1 hour, depending on the size of the artichokes). All of the water should also cook out, so that you are left with a thick, olive oil rich tomato sauce. Serve with a crusty sour dough, a side dish of olives and a few pieces of Greek feta drizzled in olive oil.
