6 lg Artichokes
Water
4 Lemons
2 tb Flour
1 lb Fresh green fava beans
1 1/4 c Olive oil
3 Finely chopped onions
Salt
1/2 c Rice
2 ts Sugar
3/4 c Chopped fresh dill
Lemon wedges for garnish
Mix juice of 2 lemons & the flour in a large bowl. Add 2 qt water & mix thoroughly. Wash artichokes, bend back & snap off outer leaves. Leave only the tender inner leaves. Slice off these leaves just above the heart & scoop out the fuzzy choke & remaining pinkish leaves. Cut off the stem & peel around the base with a vegetable peeler until you reach the whitish tender part. As you trim each artichoke, take a lemon half, sprinkle it with salt & rub it all around & inside the base to prevent discoloration. Then drop each artichoke into the lemon water mixture.
Remove jackets of fava beans. Sprinkle beans with salt & let stand for 5 minutes. Remove skins, rinse & reserve.
Heat 1 c olive oil in skillet. Add onions, 1/2 ts salt & saute for 5 minutes. Stir in fava beans & rice. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring, & add 1/2 c water. Cover & cook for 5 minutes till the water has been absorbed. Stir in the dill, salt & remove from heat. Let stand covered for 15 minutes.
Remove artichokes from water bath. Reserve 4 1/2 c liquid. Stuff centre cavity of artichokes with the rice. Place each one on a sheet of wax paper, sprinkle with a little water & wrap as you would a package. Arrange them stem sides down in a heavy shallow pan. Add 1 1/2 c reserved liquid, 1/4 c olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon & sugar. Cover & cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low & simmer for 1 hour. The liquid will be continually absorbed so add more as needed. When the artichokes are tender, let them cool, Unwrap them & arrange them on a serving platter. Serve cold with garnish as part of a buffet.
