Artichokes are great.  Stuffed artichokes are greater.  Victor’s stuffed artichokes are the greatest!

I knew the minute I saw the artichokes today that Victor was going to be stuffing them for dinner tonight. He just does a good job of it.  The recipe gives ingredients – not amounts – because they vary according to how many you’re making.  Besides…  these ain’t the sort of thing where you have to put 1/8 tsp of this and 1/4 cup of that, anyway.  They’re stuffed artichokes.  You can’t screw ’em up!

Victor’s Stuffed Artichokes

  • bread crumbs (He used panko this time around because that’s what we had in the house.  He has also used store-bought and freshly made.)
  • grated parmesan cheese (Maybe 3 bread crumbs to 1 cheese.  Don’t be cheap with the cheese.)
  • Italian seasoning
  • red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper

Trim outer leaves.  Mix all ingredients.

Liberally stuff the breadcrumbs into the artichokes.   Pull the leaves out a bit and really go for it.

Drizzle with olive oil and steam for 35 to 45 minutes.

Drizzle with olive oil again just before serving.

They really do rock.

Since we were going Italian with the artichokes, I marinated the tri-tip in olive oil, red wine, and garlic.  Really basic.  And then grilled it to rare perfection.

I cubed a couple of red potatoes, boiled them in salted water, drained them, and then quickly browned them in a drizzle of olive oil with salt, pepper, and garlic.

And we still have walnut pie.