I made this today in memory of a great lunch I shared with a friend in Beirut recently; he took me to a place called Walima, that used to be located in a traditional old house, unfortunately demolished since; the homestyle restaurant had to move to a nearby location in a non-descript building; the cuisine however was still delicious and this was what I had ordered that day.
My version adds a lot of sumac to the minced meat and the yogurt sauce.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 bag of frozen artichoke bottoms (about 9 per bag)
- 3/4 pound of ground lamb (400 g)
- 1 onion
- 3 or 4 garlic cloves
- 1 pound of yogurt (1/2 kilo)
- one egg
- 2 heaping tbsp of cornstarch
- 1/4 cup of sumac
- 1 cup of Basmati rice
- Unsalted butter for the rice and pine nuts (or olive oil)
- salt, a dash of nutmeg
- 1/4 cup of pine nuts
METHOD:
- Boil or steam the artichokes, following the directions on the package; don’t dump the water after the artichokes are tender, reserve about one cup. Place the pine nuts on a piece of foil and toast in a 300F oven for 5 minutes till golden, stirring them from time to time with a spoon and watching them to make sure they don’t brown.
- Cut the bottom of the artichokes in order to make them more steady on the dish. Place the boiled artichokes side by side on a rectangular oven-proof dish, tucking the pointed tips in between. Brown the lamb in a skillet and drain the fat out. Chop the onion and fry it too in a little fat or oil and mix it with the lamb. Sprinkle two tablespoons of sumac on the meat mixture, some nutmeg and salt to taste. Add 1/2 cup of water (can use artichoke water) on the meat mixture, cover the pan and let it simmer gently for a few minutes to cook the meat thoroughly.
- Stuff the artichokes with the meat and onion mixture.
- In a small skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil; add mashed garlic and fry for 10 seconds; add one tablespoon of sumac and stir.
- Place the yogurt and one egg on the stove in a saucepan; dissolve two heaping tablespoons of cornstarch in 1/2 cup of artichoke water and add to the yogurt; start stirring in the same direction for a few minutes over low heat until the yogurt steams, start to bubble up and its texture thickens noticeably.
- Remove from the heat and add the fried garlic and sumac to it, stirring to mix it well.
- Pour the yogurt over the artichokes, sprinkle with the pine nuts and serve with rice.
NOTE:
Any remaining ground meat and onion can be combined with the rice for a nice pilaf.
44 Comments
Okay, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven! Several years ago one of our friends in Beirut made stuffed artichoke hearts with green peas and it was so disappointing. This looks incredible! Can’t wait to try it!
Wow, these look fabulous. They look like a perfect comfort food. Is this considered an appetizer or main dish? Either way I am all for it!
This is such a creative dish. I’ve never thought to use artichoke hearts as vessels. It must be very good!
i’ve somehow stumbled upon your blog and am loving all your recipes. they’re wonderfully insightful as to the beauty of lebanese food. i never knew artichoke bottoms were even sold separately! these look delicious!
Wow this looks soooo good! I love anything that I can sprinkle or incorporate sumac into!!
this sounds wonderful. i absolutely love artichoke hearts.
I had forgotten about this wonderful dish. I cannot wait to make it, but it will be even better in spring with fresh artichoke, although that would take twice as long to prepare.
Inspiring!
A wonderful artichoke recipe! That dish looks scrumptious.
Cheers,
Rosa
Another winner, Joumana!
I think it might be very good in mushrooms, too.
it looks yummy…
Frozen artichoke bottoms?!?! Where have they been all my life?
I also have an artichoke recipe posted at the moment… This looks so much better though!
Robyn
I’m really impressed with this recipe, Joumana! Artichokes are such a favorite in my family…I’ve been eating them all my life. And of course, the bottom is the best part. (although it’s fun dipping and eating the leaves, too!)
Flavorful stuffing and such a fun presentation!
I am always amazed at how simple so many of your dishes are yet so utterly fabulous! The flavors are wonderful. This looks particularly good!
I don’t think that the rice will be good with this dish.
You’ve just given me the solution I’ve dreamed of – I love artichokes, but hate the prep work. But, frozen bottoms?!! Wonderful!
Dear Joumana – I have NEVER cooked with artichoke bottoms – they intimidate me! Can I honestly buy them frozen? Where????
Great flavors with the pine nuts and the sumac
Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
Joumana, this looks GOOODOOOD! My mum makes something very very similar to this. It is always such a hit at the table. Love the combination of your ingrediants. Everything has such a mild but distinct flavour!
What a lovely dish, Joumana!! So special too! I have never seen this before,…
I love artichoke hearts! Any way I can get them. This looks like a great recipe as I also love sumac and garlic and beans… and and … the comments have also convinced me that this is a special dish (as if I needed convincing).
valerie
We love artichokes in our family. A freshly boiled artichoke with a butter and mustard sauce are a delight. The bottom is the treasure
These sound wonderful!
Great dish, Joumama! Stuffed anything is a huge hit in my house.
Love love the simplicity and flavor of this recipe. I used to make artichokes stuffed with rice and ground beef… these look easier and tastier!
What a great way to make artichokes!!!!Beautiful dish for a dinner party!
Devaki
I find these frozen artichoke bottoms stocked year-round at my neighborhood middle-eastern store in Dallas; they are distributed in the US but originally come from farms in Egypt.
Eva: This dish was served with rice, which is the traditional way; however the rice used was the rice and vermicelli that accompanies most stews in Lebanese kitchens.
I love those cute artichoke cups that holds the meat. It is a dish to rave about.
mmmm..I think I will make this tomorrow for my one year old:) thanx
Great recipe Joumana! I love artichokes and love your idea of pairing them with ground lamb and yogurt! Delish!
this looks good! A creative dish Joumana…Cheers Chiara
Joumana, this is your culinary creativity, and a very chic recipe to serve at dinner parties top with sprinkling of frizzled pine nuts, your house will fill with aromas of nutmeg and garlic, it will make the neighborhood envy you.
I love artichokes, I love your recipes, but what I do love the most is the pictures that you take about the products you use…..that helps me a lot when I go to the Arabic grocery store…..when I go there, I see the same brands and names…..Thanks to you, I know how to use them!!…..Abrazotes, Marcela
Joumana, this artichokes look awesome…I can almost taste the flavor of these artichokes…yummie!
I love artichokes and definitely don’t eat them as much as I’d like! This recipe has me drooling though. That yogurt sauce sounds lovely.
Been waiting to cook with goat and the chilli looks sublime. I also love the artichoke and lamb dish-Yum!
Well done!!!
I can find these artichoke bottoms at the Middle-eastern store and they are very good! Another creative way to use ground lamb…yum!
Joumana, I made this dish last night, I followed your recipe to the tee, and it was delicious! My husband loved it. I plan on maikng it regularly.
It was also quite quick to make which was nice.
Question: why put an egg in the yoghurt?
Thanks so much,
Caroline Brennan
Washington DC.
I love this recipe and I love your addition of sumac and yogurt!!
what a wonderful dish! how lucky are you to find cleaned artichoke bottoms, i love artichokes but don’t like the work of cleaning them and all.
Caroline, I am so happy you liked it! you can make do without the egg in the yogurt, just make sure you use some cornstarch; for me, it is a habit because that was my grandmother and mother used to do; it is supposed to stabilize the yogurt so it does not curdle. I have also used the egg white only plus the cornstarch, which works as well.
Brilliant! Some of my favorite foods–artichokes, basmati rice, and artichokes. Lovely work as always.
This sounds awesome – such wonderful flavors! Now I seriously wish I had frozen artichoke bottoms available to make this quickly… so much easier than prepping the fresh ones!
Very nice combination of flavors in this recipe. I especially like the ground lamb in it. Artichokes are a little difficult to find in my area, though Elliptical Trainer
How can I get your images to show on my Blackberry?
excellent stuff
really appreciated this article, i’m going to read more on your site soon after i am finished with my work! 
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[...] with a foodie friend in Beirut; we were discussing artichokes and that exquisite Lebanese dish of stuffed artichoke bottoms with minced lamb and yogurt; I mentioned I used frozen bottoms imported [...]