Difficulty: Intermediate (3/5)
In Provençal cuisine, "barigoule" originally referred to milk cap mushrooms grilled with olive oil. This traditional dish adopted the name for artichokes prepared similarly—now stuffed and gently braised for rich flavor, drawing from centuries-old regional recipes.
Start by trimming, washing, and blanching the artichokes in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain, then remove the choke with a small spoon.
Wash and finely chop the mushrooms. Dice the fatty bacon and cured ham. Combine with chopped parsley to form the stuffing mixture.
Fill each artichoke with the mixture, wrap with thin bacon bards, and secure with kitchen twine. Drizzle with olive oil and top with a lemon slice.
Finely chop the onion and garlic. In a large pan that can hold the artichokes upright, heat a bit of olive oil. Sauté the onion and garlic until translucent. Season with salt and white pepper.
Stand the artichokes in the pan and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Add a water-white wine mixture to reach halfway up the artichokes. Season, bring to a boil to reduce slightly, then cover, lower the heat, and simmer gently for 1 hour 40 minutes until the base thickens richly.
Drain the artichokes, remove twine and bards, and arrange in a deep serving dish. Deglaze the pan with lemon juice, adjust seasoning, and pour the sauce over the artichokes.
Note: Barigoule artichokes can also mean poivrade artichokes braised simply with onions, garlic, carrots, white wine, and olive oil—no stuffing required.
Source: Regional Cuisines of France
