Did you make your filled artichokes Andy? 
yeah, but I forgot to take the pic and I screwed it in two little details. I'll tell you the recipe for those cook lovers willing to try it (my family loved them even though they lacked of salt )
Filled artichokesingredients-1 bag of breadcrumbs (kinda 1 kg = 2.2 lbs )
-parsley
-garlic
-grated cheese (0.5 kg = 1.1 lbs)
-salty or smoked bacon (3 thin slices are fine imo)
- 4 or 5 artichokes
-vegetables stock
- 2 glasses of white wine
-sunflower oil
A ) filling:*the feeling has to be prepared the night before so as it'll rest in the fridge inside a locked container for at least 12 hours and it'll taste better the next day.
- chop the garlic and the parsley very tiny. I won't say quantities cause it depends on your likes and dislikes, but at least it must be half a cup full of chopped garlic and parsley. then mixed it with the breadcrumbs and the cheese inside a bowl.
- store the filling inside a container. it can be either a glass or a plastic jar and take it to the refrigerator. forget about it till the following day
Artichokes - wash and drain them, take out the little leaves which are not big enough to be filled and put them to rest for five minutes in cold water with lemon juice (so as they won't oxidize) cut their logs and boild them in another pot.
- cut the bacon in really little squared pieces and now mix it with the filling.
- try to open a little each leaf of the artichoke (without breaking it) and fill it with the filling using a spoon.
once they are filled, put them in a large casserole with a trickle of oil on the base. pour the vegetables stock. the liquid must cover half the artichokes. then, add the wine, and pour a drop (or more) of oil on top of each artichoke.
- you can pour in the casserole the remaining filling. it'll be part of the sauce
- when you see the liquid starts to boil, then you shut the casserole and you leave the artichokes to cook there for as long as it takes (it might take a little more than an hour)
- they are ready when you prick them with a fork and you find them easy to go through and tender inside.
note: if you use salty bacon you don't add salt to the filling. salty bacon is more greasy so it's tastier but less healthy. if you use smoked bacon, you add salt to the filling
how did I blow it???? well..
1) I used smoked bacon and it lacked salt
2) I boiled the artichokes, the souce in the same casserole with the logs. then the sauce was inedibly bitter because of the logs and it spoiled the sauce, that's why logs should be boiled in a separete pot.
3) I served the artichokes before their time, so we stopped eating them and I put them in the casserole again
(it takes between 1 and 1 1/2 hour
you eat the filling out of each leaf as if they were oysters
(these are not my artichokes, but hey!! at least I posted a pic
)
