Italian Puttanesca Grilled Artichokes

The flavors of Italy are always unmistakable. My husband and I took a trip to Italy in 2016 that changed our palettes forever. We ate salami and cheese for breakfast, fried basil leaves for lunch, gelato in-between meals, and for dinner, our meals were always showered with fresh pastas, peppers, spices and sausages. We literally ate our way through Italy, and it definitely changed the way I’ve cooked ever since.

I’m lucky that my son LOVES olives and capers, because I can add either of them to any Italian dish and it turns up the flavors in an instant! So today, I’m combining the two, firing up my Primo, and grilling up an Italian Puttanesca Stuffed Artichoke. Constructed with the highest quality ceramics, Primo’s oval design allows for a larger cooing surface, which we’re going to take advantage of today!

Grilled artichokes are one of our family’s favorite side dishes, but today we’re stuffing it with enough goodness to make them into an entree. I started with the basic, traditional puttanesca ingredients, minus the pasta. They’re sort of a hodge podge of Italian items, because one of the the historical counts of puttanesca says it’s basically a mix of whatever the brothels in Italy had leftover at the night’s end to feed hungry customers.

I filled my Primo about 2/3 of the way up with Primo’s 100% Natural Lump Charcoal and lit it with a single Primo Quick Light. I kept the vents open and the grill top closed until it reached about 400 degrees and then opened the top and set the cast iron skillet on with the par boiled artichoke halves.

The Primo’s unmatched cooking versatility and American made quality made this recipe super easy to execute, as the temperature held consistently with the cast iron skillet and vegetables cooking at the same time.

Stirring occasionally, I waited for the Puttanesca mixture to cook down about half way and then turned the artichokes over. Once the mixture was ready, so were the artichokes, and we were ready to plate up! There were no problems, tricks or hiccups to this recipe. Just make sure to use an oven mitt to take the cast iron skillet off the grill when its done! I plated this dish up with some fresh parsley leaves and a handful of Parmesan cheese. The artichoke leaves came off easily and we ate them with some of the puttanesca mixture spooned onto them. Pasta would be an easy add and even some Marinara if you want an additional dipping sauce!

Italian Puttanesca Stuffed Artichoke

Prep Time: 15 minutes / Cook Time: 30 minutes / Servings: 4 artichoke halves

Ingredients:

• 2 large artichokes, cut in half and hollowed out

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 mild Italian sausages, casings removed

• 1 cup Cannellini beans with liquid

• 1 cup Italian seasoned stewed tomatoes, with liquid

• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, roughly chopped

• 1/4 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

• 2 tbsp. Sliced kalamata olives

• 2 tbsp. Sliced manzanilla olives

• 2 tbsp. Non-pareil capers

• 2 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed

• 1/2 tsp. Red chili flakes

• 1/4 tsp. each, salt and pepper

• 1/4 fresh parsley leaves, chopped

• 1/2 cup fresh, shredded Parmesan chees

Steps:

• Fill your Primo Grill about 2/3 of the way with Primo’s 100% natural lump charcoal. Place a single Primo Quick Light as low to the bottom of the charcoal as possible and light. Open the vents and close the grill lid until the grill heats up to 400 degrees.

• While the grill is heating up, boil a large pot of water and place the artichoke halves in the water to boil for about 15 minutes. Drain the artichokes and set aside.

• Prep the olive oil, sausages, beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, olives, capers, garlic, chili flakes, salt and pepper by placing them all into the cast iron skillet.

• Once the grill is heated, place the cast iron skillet and the artichokes onto the grill. Break up the sausages as they cook and stir the mixture occasionally, leaving the grill top and vents open the entire time.

• Once the liquid in the sausage mixture is cooked half way down, turn the artichoke halves over (about 7 minutes). Continue to stir occasionally until the liquid in the mixture is almost completely cooked down. Remove the artichokes and cast iron skillet from the heat and allow them to cool for a few minutes before serving.

• To plate: Place the artichoke halves onto a serving dish. Fill the artichoke halves with the sausage mixture evenly. Top with fresh parsley leaves and shredded Parmesan cheese.