Artichoke bottoms, the tender, fleshy base of the artichoke, offer delicious artichoke flavor in a form ideal for topping or stuffing—here with spinach and cheese. Although fresh artichokes are worth the labor most of the time, here I recommend using both canned bottoms and frozen spinach. That way the dish comes together easily but still feels special, all the while paying tribute to two ingredients beloved by Italy's Jewish community. Canned artichoke bottoms are available in some grocery stores and also online. Make sure there is a good layer of liquid in the bottom of your baking dish for cooking the artichokes.
Ingredients
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ lemon
- 2 14-ounce cans medium or large artichoke bottoms, drained
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 8-ounce bag frozen chopped spinach, heated and firmly squeezed of excess liquid
- 1 cup crumbled feta
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon garlic powder, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Coat the bottom of a 9-by-9-inch or similar-sized baking dish with a generous layer of olive oil (about 3 tablespoons). Squeeze the juice from the lemon into the dish.
- Toss the artichoke bottoms with olive oil to coat and place open-side-up in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, spinach, feta, mozzarella, nutmeg, and black pepper to taste.
- Mound filling in each artichoke.
- Bake covered for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 more minutes until melty and lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes before serving.