Beautiful thistles to liven up your table

I used to love articokes when I was a kid. My grandmother used to boil them and then serve them with a variety of dipping sauces.
They seemed so fancy because they looked like a bouquet of fancy flowers on the serving dish in the middle of the table, but I got to eat them with my fingers and dip them in all kinds of stuff...that was a rare treat in our house. We never ate chips or other dippy sort of foods so I was excited...never occurred to me that I was eating something good for me.
I think I stopped liking these tasty thistles for a while when I was in college and a friend of my grandfather's brought over a bottle of homemade Cynar - a strong liqueur made from fermented artichokes. It was utterly horrible to my taste. I shunned both artichokes and any sort of liqueur for some time after that.
The dried or fresh leaves and the stems of artichokes are used in traditional medicine to increase bile production. Cynarin (which I would guess is where that drink got it's name) is an active ingredient in the artichoke. It is said to cause an increase in bile flow and, thus, cleans toxins from your system. Certain extracts from artichoke leaves have also shown to reduce cholesterol.

While I have learned to eat artichokes in many ways again, I have yet to be brave enough to try that liqueur ato this day. I think I'll just stick to the solid form for now.

Stuffed artichokes

4 large artichokes
2 cups herbed bread crumbs
½ cup Parmesan cheese
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons cilantro or parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon of jalapeno, minced. (Optional for those who like things a little spicier)

Salt and pepper to taste

• Wash artichokes to get any sand off of them and cut off the stems at base so they can stand on their own. Pull off the small bottom leaves and chop off the top quarter of artichokes.
• Spread the rest of the leaves out so it looks like a lotus flower. Pull out the center leaves and the fuzzy "heart". You can cut out a small section with a knife and pull the rest out with a spoon or your fingers.
• Toss the bread crumbs with cheese, olive oil, garlic, cilantro, oregano, jalapeno (if you're using it), salt and pepper to taste.
• Stuff the bread crumb mixture between leaves of the artichokes and fill the centers.
• Place stuffed artichokes in a 9-inch square baking dish. Pour 2 cups boiling water around the artichokes. Cover with foil.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until artichokes are tender.
• Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack to room temperature.
  
  Vegetarian.