Qaqoċċ mimli bit-tonn taż-żejt - Maltese Tuna Stuffed Artichokes
Ingredients
- 4 large globe artichokes
- 200 g tuna 2 cans
- 1 large white onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp olives (green & kalamata) chopped
- 4 anchovy fillets chopped
- 1 tbsp capers chopped
- handful parsley
- few mint leaves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp pepper
Instructions
Cleaning and preparing the artichokes
- Prepare the artichoke by removing the stems and any small leaves which are bruised or too tough. Chop the stems and add them to the tuna mixture. Make sure that the base of the artichoke is flat and it can stand on its own.
- With a sharp knife chop the top part of the artichoke so to remove most of the inedible part of the leaves, and you get a smooth straight artichoke top.
- With a pair of kitchen scissors snip away the prickly parts of the other leaves so that they are all straight. Smash the artichoke on your working space so that the leaves open up a bit. Run under cold water for a good clean and lastly rub some lemon over the top so that it doesn't brown while you fill them.
Fill the artichokes
- Peel and chop the potatoes, place in a bowl of water and set aside.
- Chop all the remaining ingredients, and the artichoke stems, place in a bowl and mix. Set aside until ready to fill the artichokes.
- With your hands, or spoon, place generously the filling between each leave around the artichoke and top it off with more filling by pressing it gently to go down in the middle.
- In a large pot place the potatoes at the bottom and on top place the artichokes. Fill the pot with water, ideally until 1/4 of the artichoke.
- Cover the pot and let cook on medium heat for about 20/25 minutes. Serve the artichokes with the potatoes and any other steamed or boiled vegetables. Drizzle everything with olive oil and chopped parsley. Enjoy and don't forget an empty plate to dispose of your eaten leaves.