Thursday, June 4, 2009

Liquid Sunshine


It was misting outside so thus I required comfort food. Bonus, this one is super easy and quick too. Perfect for evenings when all you want to do is curl up with a blanket on the couch.

Stuffed Artichokes:

1/2 to 1 Artichoke per person
Rice - boxed mix or your own
Ricotta Cheese
Seasoned Panko
Seasoned Crushed Tomatoes

Clean artichokes. Cut off stems and remove coarse thick leaves. Trim off the points on the remaining leaves. Cut artichoke in half to reveal heart.

Tear out the heart. Yes I am cruel, I just rip it out :) Set the heart aside. Scoop out the fuzzy part and discard. Do this with the remaining chokes.

Start your rice. Add a little bit of extra water or broth. Tear the hearts into small pieces and stir into the uncooked rice mixture.

Place the artichoke halves in the rice so that they touch the bottom of the pan and are mostly covered with liquid. A skillet with lid works really well.

Cook until rice and artichokes are tender and liquid is reduced. Keep in eye on the artichokes so that they do not overcook. Remove early if necessary.

Place artichokes on an oven safe pan. Fill with rice. Top rice with ricotta and then panko. Broil until the panko is browned and the cheese is warm.

Plate and serve with remaining rice and crushed tomatoes. Simple and easy.

Now throw what you can in the dishwasher and curl up in front of the TV with a big bowl of comfort!