Artichokes with Basil Filling

Ingredients

• 6 small artichokes
• juice of one lemon
• Salt
• 100 g pine nuts
• 1 Shallot
• 1 Garlic clove
• 100 g basil
• 3 tbsp oil
• Salt
• pepper (ground)
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 2 Tomatoes

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash the artichokes, break off the stem with the lower small leaves. Remove the outer leaves. Trim the leaf tips with kitchen scissors. Cut a lemon in half and rub all cut surfaces with it. Place the vegetables portion-wise with the leaf tips up into a large pot of salted water and cook for 20 minutes with a slice of lemon. Remove and drain. Halve the artichokes lengthwise and scoop out the choke with a spoon, keeping them warm.

2. 2.

   For the filling, peel and finely chop the shallot and garlic, then sauté in 2 tbsp hot oil until translucent.

3. 3.

   Wash the basil, shake dry, finely chop and add to the pine nuts with the shallots, stir, briefly fry, and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

4. 4.

   Simmer the tomatoes, peel, quarter, core, and dice them. Let them soften briefly in remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

5. 5.

   Fill the artichokes and arrange on a plate, garnish with melted tomato sauce and basil leaves.