Artichokes with Broad Bean and Corn Stuffing

                                     

I love broad beans even more than I love artichokes. Put the two together and I'm even happier. Since the two are readily available from the garden at the moment I'm enjoying creating with them. 

I had a bunch of beans ready for the picking today, so myself and the Kitchen Fairy shelled them for dinner. you can tell when they are ready to pick for the beans inside by gently squeezing the bulge where the bean is. If there isn't much give, they are ready. You can also eat them young when they are a few centimetres long whole in stirfrys- and the leaves are also edible - why not try them in a  mixed salad? 

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The easiest way to shell them is to pinch the top off, and run a finger down the "seam" popping out the beans as you go. I find it amazing that God created these with their own "Styrofoam" packaging. It's so soft and almost velvety,perfect for protecting the beans within.

What you end up with, is a pile like this. I blanch them for a minute in boiling water, and then cool. You can either eat them with their skin on if they are young enough, or if they are a bit older, you will need to shell them again. These guys were so young and sweet, I hardly needed to.

So, for the stuffing, this is what I did.

3/4 cup broad beans 

1 corn cob, kernels cut off

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

fresh dill, about 1 tablespoon chopped

1 garlic clove

knob of vegan margarine

1 tablespoon lemon juice

inner petals of the artichokes reserved earlier.

In a food processor, I combined the dill, garlic, artichoke petals, lemon juice, marg, and breadcrumbs. I added these to the corn kernels and beans, and then stuffed it into the artichokes. Popped them in the oven for about 15 minutes, and drizzled with a little olive oil when they came out. You could squeeze a little more lemon over them if you wanted to. when the stuffing is eaten, you can eat the petals by sliding the flesh off the petals with your teeth. Excellent dipped in a little garlic butter...

What about the rest of the stuffing? I added some chopped onion, formed them into patties, and fried each side until golden. They will make a great vegie pattie in a sandwich with some lettuce and mayo. Mmmmm....