These artichoke meatballs will amaze you: very few pantry ingredients will transform this winter vegetable into a greedy and irresistible vegetarian second course.
Eggs, potatoes, stale bread and your favorite grated cheese – here's what you'll need to make these artichoke patties. A recipe that saves dinner and… saves your wallet, to be prepared in a few steps.
By now you know that the meatballs they are my workhorse and I like to experiment with a thousand variations starting from what the season can offer us. This is why I wanted to prepare potato croquettes where the artichoke is the protagonist.
These vegetables, available from November to April, are precious allies for the liver, help eliminate toxins and promote diuresis. And they give an irresistible flavor to dishes such as risotto, savory pies, excellent as a side dish and as a main course, as in this case.
Although my throat would have suggested that I fry them, I chose to bake them in the oven, to make them lighter and more digestible and enhance the detox effect of its main ingredient.
BUT LET'S COME TO THE RECIPE OF ARTICHOKES AND POTATOES MEATBALLS
ingredients for 12 artichoke balls
THING
- 4 artichoke hearts
- 1 organic lemon (edible peel)
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic
- 150 g of boiled potatoes
- 1 egg
- 50 g of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 tablespoon of curry powder to taste (I Madras)
- breadcrumbs to taste
- 1 bunch of parsley
- Salt and Pepper To Taste
HOW TO PREPARE ARTICHOKE MEATBALLS
I bought some already cleaned artichoke hearts from which I removed only what remains of the stem, I cut them into wedges and removed the internal "beard".
If you buy whole artichokes you will have to: cut the stem, remove the toughest outer leaves, cut the tips (about 2 or 3 cm) and continue from here.
I dipped the artichoke wedges in boiling water and boiled them for 10 minutes. I drained and sautéed them in a pan for another 10 minutes with a crushed clove of garlic, extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt and black pepper to taste.
Once cooked, I let it cool and I transferred the artichokes into a bowl, adding the grated Parmigiano Reggiano, the egg and the mashed boiled potatoes. After having mixed to mix all the ingredients well, I adjusted with salt and pepper and I started to form my meatballs, with always wet hands to make it less effort.
I passed the meatballs in breadcrumbs and placed them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, brushing them with a little seed oil. Static 180 ° hot oven, I baked for 20/25 minutes until golden brown.
I served the artichoke croquettes with a fresh Greek yogurt sauce.
One more idea? When forming the meatballs, put a cube of your favorite cheese in the center: you will get an irresistible stringy heart.
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