Artichokes depress me. Many comedians have mocked them, labeling them as the epitomy of vegetable boredom, almost tied with endives and Jerusalem artichokes.

But… Nounours’ sweetheart loves them. So, I make them. Honestly, making an artichoke even somewhat palatable is an achievement in itself—here, I’ve made them almost appealing. I mentally award myself half a point.

Ingredients for 2 People:

• 4 Sardinian artichokes
• 200g minced lamb
• 1 shallot
• 20g guanciale

My mistake was assuming that Sardinian artichokes had tender leaves, generally edible without having to feel like a grazing horse. Not at all. These little things, while much less bitter than their Breton cousins, have equally tough exteriors. Trim them ruthlessly—don’t hesitate to remove more than the upper half of the leaves, or even more if needed.

In the presentation, you might see vertically cut artichokes. Ignore that. Whole artichokes cut horizontally through the middle of the leaves work just fine.

Blanch the artichokes for 15 minutes.

While the artichokes are precooking, finely chop the shallot and mix it into the minced lamb. Add a bit of salt and pepper.

Slice the guanciale into very thin strips. These will be sprinkled on top just before baking.

Cleaning the artichokes:
Drain the artichokes and scrape out the middle to remove the choke, keeping the base and the lower parts of the outer leaves intact.

(Side note: The little literature I found on Sardinian artichokes claimed there was no need to remove anything… I must have been reading fiction.)

Fill the artichokes with the lamb and shallot mixture, then distribute the guanciale strips on top.

Bake in the oven at 200°C for 15 minutes.