Serves 4
For the artichoke: 4 globe artichokes, ½ bunch thyme, 1x lemon- cut in half, 1 peeled and roughly chopped carrot, 1 stick roughly chopped celery, 2 lightly crushed cloves of garlic, salt.
To peel the artichokes, take off the hard outer leaves. Using a bread knife cut along the top half of the head and discard any hard leaves below. You should now be holding just the cup and stem. Using a teaspoon press into the furry centre (the choke) and work out all the fur and discard. Immediately rub with lemon to stop discolouring. Now remove the stem, peel any outer skin working round the outside with bread or paring knife, and once this layer has been removed, again rub with lemon to stop discolouring. Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil, season with salt and add the remaining ingredients. Add the artichoke, and simmer for about 10 minutes or until tender and remove from water and allow to cool.
For the stuffing: 200g cooked white beans, 50g feta/ dairy free alternative, 15g chopped parsley, 8g lilliput capers, 15g sun dried tomatoes- roughly chopped, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, juice and zest of half a lemon, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
Pre-heat the oven to 175 deg cel. Lightly mash up the drained white beans, and then add the rest of the ingredients, season with salt and pepper. Fill the cavity of the artichoke with the stuffing, and using a spoon, dome the mix. Drizzle with olive oil, and then bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Vegeterian gravy: ½ onion- finely chopped, 1 carrot- finely chopped, 1 stick celery- finely chopped, 1 clove garlic- crushed, 1 bay leaf, ½ bunch thyme, 20g dried mushrooms, 1 teaspoon of dashi powder, 500ml vegetable stock, olive oil. 2 tablespoons cornflour.
Fry the vegetables in a pan with a little olive oil until golden brown, and then add the vegetable stock, dried mushrooms, dashi powder and herbs. Bring to the boil and then turn down to simmer for 45 minutes, check the seasoning and then strain through a fine sieve. Place this stock back in a pan and bring it to the boil. Mix the cornflour with a little cold water. Add a corn flour mix to the pan, whilst mixing continuously. Check the consistency and repeat if the gravy is not thick enough.
