RECIPE

The Valentino Cookbook

By Piero Selvaggio and Karen Stabiner (Villard)

LINA'S STUFFED ARTICHOKES
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6 large artichokes
1 lemon, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons bread crumbs, finely ground
2 anchovy fillets, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup (preferably extra virgin) olive oil
1 cup dry white wine

Remove the outer leaves and slice off the top 1 to 2 inches of the artichokes. Scoop out the fuzzy inner choke. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into a large bowl of water, along with the lemon, and store the trimmed artichokes in the water until ready to use. The lemon prevents them from turning brown.

Combine the breadcrumbs, anchovies, garlic and parsley. Stuff the cavity of the artichoke, filling between the inner leaves with any extra stuffing.

In a small saucepan, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the stuffed artichokes and pour the wine over them. Simmer gently for 1 hour, until the leaves pull off easily and their meat is tender. Serve hot.

Yields 6 servings.

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