Recipe(tried): ARTICHOKES STUFFED WITH BABY VEAL

When we were just young children, my dad would take us to this wonderful Italian restaurant here in New Orleans.....It was owned by an Italian family by the name of Turci. The entire family worked there....Mama Turci manded the kitchen, Papa and others took care of the dining room, and sister Rose lorded over the cash register. They had the same waiters that had worked there from when my dad was a child and they were pretty up in age. Harold, our favorite used to slide along the floor in his loafers....guess it was getting harder and harder to just pick up his feet!! This recipe for Stuffed artichokes was a house specialty and a well-guarded secret. My mom got friendly with the waiter named Freddie who also spoke Spanish, and she flirted with him long enough to get this recipe.

Every Easter Daddy would take the family to Turci's for dinner....an event we all looked forward to......they served the most incredible breaded veal with a tangy lemon-butter sauce and generously sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.....their House Gravy was a deep dark red and was sweet as can be...filled with tiny meatballs,thickly sliced mushrooms, chunks of chicken and green olives, but the dish we all saved room for was the artichokes stuffed with baby veal.

The restaurant is no longer there; it was bought by a Jewish man who moved it to another location because the new Superdome was under construction right down the street......the restaurant was never the same, but every Easter like clockwork you will find six of these luscious beauties gracing my dinner table. It's with great pleasure I share this recipe for

ARTICHOKES STUFFED WITH BABY VEAL 1 large loaf stale french bread, soaked in water and squeezed dry; finely chopped
1 cup pine nuts
1 tabsp. guava jelly (not Paste)
1/2 teasp. salt
1/2 teasp. pepper (I use lemon-pepper)

4-6 tabsp. good strong olive oil
In a heavy skillet, heat olive oil. Add all ingredients to the skillet and cook over med. flame until it ceases to steam, making sure to break up any large pieces of the bread. Set aside. 3/4 pound of ground baby veal (NO SUBSTITUTIONS)
3/4 pound of ground round steak
1 med. onion, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste (I use lemon-pepper)
4-6 tabsp. more olive oil
In another skillet, heat olive oil. Saute the onion and garlic until almost transparant. Add meats and season with salt and pepper and continue to cook until meats are browned. 1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
3 Large artichokes, cleaned and stems & leaves trimmed (remove the thorns)
1 large lemon sliced
1 1/2 quarts fresh, well seasoned chicken stock
1 cup good olive oil
In a large bowl, combine meat mixture and the bread mixture along with the grated cheese and mix well. Par-boil the artichokes for no longer than ten minutes in water that has been seasoned with a cut-up lemon and a few tabsp. of olive oil. Remove from water immediately and allow to drain until cool enough to handle. Divide stuffing evenly between the three artichokes pushing down into the leaves to fill. Place in a 4-5" deep roasting pan ( Iusually do six at a time and I have a large rectangular roaster with a domed lid that is perfect for this, but three will fit snugly in a 5-6qt dutch oven ),fill with enough chicken stock to come up the sides by about 3"deep. Drizzle stuffed artichokes with the remaining olive oil and place a thick slice of lemon on the center of each. Place remaining slices of the lemon down into the broth. Cover and simmer on the stove on low for about 1-2 hours.(check for doneness by pulling on a center leaf...if it comes out easily and is tender to the bite....it's done). Remove cover last 10 min. This can also be placed in the oven at 325* for about the same amount of time. Uncover the last 10 min. also.( check after 1 hour and add more chicken stock if necessary)

WARNING; BOLT THE DOORS.....THE AROMAS WAFTING OUT OF YOUR HOME WILL DRAW MANY UNWANTED DINERS TO YOUR TABLE! Note: These freeze beautifully if for some reason you should have any leftovers!! One artichoke is truly enough for two - three people......maybe 1-2 Italians!!LOL Buono Apetito!