EyeItalia

Just in time for the artichoke season, our friend Daniela shares a delicious and creative recipe with us. This unusual (and fun!) recipe was taught to Daniela by her mother-in-law, who is from Puglia. Like most recipes passed on by Italian friends, this one leaves room for personal interpretation. None of the ingredients needs precooking.

6 medium artichokes, prepped and sliced lengthwise*
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 pound ground meat
1 egg
1 small onion, chopped
breadcrumbs
Parmesan, grated
parsley, chopped
olive oil
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit

Chop the onion very fine, add to the ground meat with the egg, salt and pepper. Roll into small meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter.

Slice the potatoes and the prepared artichokes into fine slices.

Layer an ovenproof dish with sliced potatoes, meatballs, sliced artichokes, breadcrumbs, parsley, and grated Parmesan. Drizzle a little olive oil over first layer. Repeat, creating a second layer. Finish with a generous sprinkle of bread crumbs, Parmesan and another drizzle of olive oil over all.

Bake in the oven for 30-40 min.

*Artichoke preparation:

Remove all the coarse outer leaves of the fresh artichokes, (more rather than less), to avoid finding stringy, chewy bits in the finished dish (about 60% has to go!). Then slice them lengthwise with a sharp knife; the stem or heart will keep the slices together.