I make Italian stuffed artichokes for holidays. They are stuffed with Italian seasoned bread crumbs and grated Romano or Parmesan cheese, fresh chopped parsley and garlic powder. First you have to soak them in a sink of water to make sure to get any live or dead bugs out if there are any in between the leaves. Drain the artichokes upside down in a dish drainer. Cut off the sharp tips on each individual leaf with a sharp knife. In the center where all the leaves come together in a long point, cut those tips off all as one. Cut the stems off so the artichokes can sit upright and level. Spread all the leaves apart and sprinkle the seasoned bread crumbs into them so there's a layer of breading in the bottom half of each leaf. Sit all the artichokes in a shallow pan like a lasagna pan, drizzle a tiny bit of water over each and also a little drizzle of olive oil on each. Sprinkle more grated cheese on the tops of each stuffed artichoke. Put about a half inch of water in the bottom of the pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake at 350 degrees for about three hours. You may want to check once halfway through to make sure there's still some water in the bottom of the pan---add more if needed. Usually mine don't cook dry. Once baked, sit the pan aside to cool. These can be made the night before the holiday dinner, as they are eaten at room temperature and don't require refrigeration. To eat them, pull off the leaves one at a time starting with the outermost leaves, and draw the leaf through your teeth pulling the bread crumb stuffing and soft bottoms of the leaves off with your top teeth. It's the flavored breading and soft leaf bottoms that are consumed, not the fibrous parts of the leaves. Stuffed artichokes have a mild flavor, much like other foods like shrimp.
Now you can be a little "Italian" at your next holiday dinner. Enjoy my family recipe!