Recipe by Leah Hamaoui

In a world of ever-changing culinary trends, meat-stuffed artichokes will always remain a true classic in the Sephardic world of culinary masterpieces. Each artichoke gets filled with a delicious and warm-flavored meat filling, and the olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice provide a Mediterranean brightness that complements the artichokes’ natural earthy flavor.

You know that feeling that makes you tingle inside right before you serve something because you know everyone will say “wow!”? Well, this is that kind of dish!

I love this recipe for a few reasons:

1. There’s not a lot of work or preparation involved to get this dish from start to finish.
2. The flavors are simple, yet it’s a total flavor party in every bite.
3. The slow-cooking process allows the flavors to meld beautifully, creating a dish that’s as aromatic as it is delicious.
4. Personally, I love the feeling that I’m cooking something right out of my grandmother’s kitchen. Growing up, this was served on special Friday nights and on Yom Tov.

Trust me on this one. One bite, and you’ll be calling yourself master chef!

SERVES 8 - 10

• 1½ lb (680 g) ground meat
• ½ cup fresh parsley
• 1 Tbsp paprika in oil
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp dried dill
• 2 small onions
• 2 14-oz (400-g) bags frozen artichoke bottoms
• extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp onion soup mix
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 2 Tbsp parsley flakes
• 1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray a Pyrex dish very well with cooking spray or line a 9x13-inch (23x33-cm) pan with parchment paper.

Place meat, parsley, and spices in a medium-sized bowl and mix until well-combined.

Place onions in the food processor and blend until it reaches a creamy consistency. Add to the meat mixture.

Wash and dry all artichokes well. Fill the artichoke bottoms with the meat mixture. Fill generously because the meat shrinks while cooking. Place all the filled artichokes in the pan.

Combine the sauce ingredients in a glass cup and mix well.

Pour 1–2 spoonsful of the sauce over each artichoke. Whatever is left, pour into the pan. Try to make sure that there’s liquid on the entire surface of each artichoke. Drizzle olive oil over everything.

Cover with a layer of parchment paper and then double cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake for 1 hour, then lower the temperature to 250°F (120°C) for 2 hours.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 902)