Artichokes are a bit of a double edged sword I feel.  They are such little beasts to prepare - but simply lovely to eat.  I came across this recipe when a saw an English cooking show called "Two Fat Ladies" - the title had me hooked!  Has anyone seen them? They are priceless.  They take the English eccentricity to new heights.  While obviously wonderful cooks, they don't actually tell you how much of each ingredient you'll need - so it's a bit of a shot in the dark.  

My husband said I couldn't consider myself a good cook until I had mastered artichokes!! Fine! The Two Fat Ladies made artichokes on the TV so while having no idea about quantities I gave it my best - I have to say they're rather good.  

4-6 black olives, finely chopped

Fresh white breadcrumbs (I used one piece of good quality white sandwich bread blitzed in the food processor)

A large handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

A very small onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of capers

2 tomatoes, skinned, seeded and finely chopped

4 oz of Parmesan cheese

1/3 bottle of dry white wine

2 tablespoons of olive oil

salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 350F

I'm sure everyone knows how to prepare an artichoke, but I have to admit I needed a refresher course - so here are the steps - just in case.  Remember to have a cut lemon handy so you can rub it over the cut parts of the artichoke to prevent it turning brown.

To prepare the artichokes, pull off the stem and the rough outer leaves of the bottom layer.

Sip the top of the leaves around the base.

Slice off the top third of the artichoke - this can be a challenge - make sure your knife if sharp.

Then attack the inside.  You want to scoop out all the furry inside, cut around with a knife and scoop out with a spoon, this can take a little time but make sure all the bits are taken out.

Now they are ready to stuff.  Mix all the stuffing ingredients together and spoon into the cavity.

Pour a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into a Dutch oven and warm it. 

Place the artichokes into the oil and pour the wine over and around.

Place the lid on the pot and put into the oven for approximately an hour.

To serve, place an individual artichoke onto a plate with some juice.  Perfect for a light lunch or a fancy starter for dinner.