Grandmother’s Sicilian-style stuffed artichokes (and how to trim them)

Pare the artichokes: Slice the lemon in half and rub the surface of one of the halves over your fingers. (The polyphenols in the artichokes turn black when exposed to oxygen and they discolor the skin when they come in contact with it. The acid in the lemon will prevent the blackening of the hands as well as of the vegetables themselves.) As you work with the artichokes, rub lemon on all of the exposed edges to prevent discoloration.

Hold an artichoke in your palm with the stem facing away from you. One by one, pull the small leaves off of the stem – pull against the direction in which they grow – and, working toward the base, pull off the smaller outermost layer of leaves as well and discard. If the outer layer of leaves on the artichoke is still very small, remove that layer as well. Lay the artichoke on its side on a secured cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut off the stem as close to the base as possible so that the artichoke will sit flat when set upright. Cut an inch or two from the other, dry (and probably blackened) end of the stem and discard. Use a peeler or paring knife to peel the stem from end to end. Rub the stem all over with lemon and set aside.

Lay the artichoke on its side again and using a serrated knife, cut off the top third – 1 to 2 inches – of the artichoke leaves and discard. Rub lemon over the exposed edges of the leaves that remain in place. Holding the artichoke in one hand, use a scissor to snip the prickly tops off of the remaining bracts at approximately the widest part of the leaf. Start with the outer layer of leaves at the base and work inward to create an alternating pattern until all of the prickly leaf tips have been removed and the leaves make an attractive graduated pattern around the body of the artichoke.

(Some people like to remove center-most leaves as well. To do this, use a pointy-edged spoon such as a teaspoon (a grapefruit spoon with one serrated edge works particularly well for this) to dig down into the center and scoop them out from the bottom, also removing the hairy “choke” and discard. This is completely optional.) Repeat with remaining artichokes.