Prepare the artichokes: Cut off the stem, leaving
a flat base
Reserve the stems
Remove any
bruised outer leaves
Cut about one inch off the
top of each artichoke with a sharp knife
With a
pair of kitchen scissors snip off the tip of each
outer leaf
Place the artichokes in a pot of
boiling salted water along with the bay leaves,
four crushed cloves of garlic, and the quartered
lemon
Add the stems to the pot and cook,
covered, for about half an hour
Remove from
water and cool
While the artichokes are
bubbling, saute the sausage in a skillet just until
it loses its pink color
Remove the sausage with a
slotted spoon and set it aside
In the sausage
drippings saute the minced onion until it is
translucent, about ten minutes
In a bowl mix
the sausage, onion, Parmesan cheese, bread
crumbs, egg, wine, thyme, capers, cayenne, salt,
pepper, and, when they are cooked, the
artichoke stems, which should be chopped
finely
When the artichokes are cooked and cool
enough to handle, pull back the leaves and
remove the inner choke
Fill the center of each
artichoke with equal amounts of stuffing
If you
have enough stuffing, place some in between
the large leaves at the base
Place the stuffed
artichokes in a baking pan and pour the lemon
juice mixed with the olive oil and minced garlic
over them
Cover and bake in a pre heated
350F
oven for about twenty minutes or until
the base leaves are very tender
