Braised Lamb-Stuffed Artichoke Hearts Gluten-Free Recipe

Use fresh artichokes or find frozen artichoke hearts at Middle Eastern markets. Plan ahead: this recipe calls for baharat spice blend, a boiled potato, and an hour of braising.

Servings 8

Author Ron and Leetal Arazi

Ingredients

FOR THE BRAISING SAUCE:

3 tablespoons olive oil
10 cloves garlic, minced
2- inch piece fresh turmeric, peeled and finely grated with a microplane, or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves and stems, finely chopped, plus 1 tablespoon finely chopped leaves, for garnish
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
Juice of 1/2 lemon

FOR THE ARTICHOKE FILLING:

6 ounces ground lamb
6 ounces ground beef
1 small yellow onion, grated
1/2 boiled russet potato, grated
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons baharat spice blend, available at well-stocked grocers and online
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 fresh artichokes hearts leaves, fuzzy chokes, and stems discarded, or 2 (14-ounce) bags frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1 cup chickpea flour
2 eggs, whisked with a pinch of salt
Canola oil, for frying

Instructions

Make the braising sauce: In a large, shallow skillet with a lid over low heat, warm the olive oil with the garlic, turmeric, cilantro, salt, and lemon juice, and cook for 2 minutes. Add 3 cups water, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to very low, cover, and keep warm.
Make the artichoke filling: In a bowl, mix together the lamb, beef, onion, potato, egg, baharat, and salt. Stuff the artichoke hearts with 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons filling, depending on the size of the heart. Make meatballs with any leftover filling.
Place the chickpea flour in a shallow bowl. Place the beaten eggs in another shallow bowl. In another large skillet over medium heat, pour in 1/2 inch canola oil. Dip each stuffed heart and any meatballs in the flour, gently dusting off any excess, then dip in the egg and immediately fry on both sides until golden, about 45 seconds per side. Place the fried artichokes, filling side up, in the skillet of braising sauce. When all the fried artichokes and any fried meatballs are in the skillet, simmer, covered, until the artichokes are very soft, about 60 minutes. Serve with any meatballs and the braising sauce.