Sausage Stuffed Artichoke Bottoms

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375˚F and arrange a rack in the center of the oven. (Use the convection setting if you have it.) Then, prep all ingredients according to specifications above. Drain and pat the tops and bottom of the artichoke bottoms dry with a paper towel.(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)

Step 2

Make the filling: Combine the sausage, bread, spinach, white wine (if including), cheeses, egg and spices in a bowl and mix until well-combined. Let this mixture sit for a few minutes to allow the ingredients to meld together before stuffing the bottoms.

Step 3

If you haven’t already, drain and pat the tops and bottoms of the artichoke bottoms dry. Then, stuff the artichokes using either your fingers or a spoon with a generous mound of the filling. Press down so that the filling is firmly packed.

Step 4

Place the tomato sauce on the bottom of a nonstick baking dish that is large enough to hold all the artichoke bottoms. Or, use more than one baking dish.

Step 5

Nestle the stuffed artichoke bottoms on top of the sauce. They can touch each other and, since the bottoms are not really flat, it may help to have them lean on each other so that they do not fall over. Try to use a baking dish in which the artichokes fit closely together without much or any space next to each other.

Step 6

Transfer the baking dish to the preheated oven and roast for 35 minutes or so, uncovered. The artichokes are finished cooking when they have reached an internal temperature of 165˚F. Use a stem thermometer to test the internal temperature.

Step 7

Remove the pan from the oven and change the oven setting to (low) broil. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup Pecorino cheese over the stuffed artichoke bottoms and place them under the broiler for 1-2 minutes only to lightly char. (This last step is optional.) Don’t walk away during this step as anything under a broil can burn very quickly!

Step 8

Let the roasted stuffed artichoke bottoms rest for about 5 minutes. Then either serve them in the baking dish or transfer them to a serving platter and drizzle some sauce from the pan over them. Buon Appetito!