Spicy Artichoke Balls

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves, pureed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 (32 ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained and mashed
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 cups italian breadcrumbs (if using regular bread crumbs, you might want to flavor them with a pinch of basil, rosemary,marjora)
• chili powder (optional) or tabasco sauce (optional) or sweet chili sauce (optional)
• 1/4-1/2 cup additional italian seasoned breadcrumbs, to roll the balls in
• 1/4-1/2 cup additional parmesan cheese, to roll the balls in

Recipe

• 1 drain artichoke hearts and reserve juice.
• 2 in a bowl, mash the hearts well.
• 3 add the 2 slightly beaten eggs, half the parmesan and half the bread crumbs to mashed artichokes and blend well to the consistency of bread dressing.
• 4 if mixture is too dry, add a little of the reserved artichoke juice and/or optional tabasco or sweet chili sauce. set aside.
• 5 in a skillet, saute the garlic in oil over medium heat.
• 6 place artichoke mixture in the skillet, add herbs of your choice, simmer and stir gently until ingredients are thoroughly mixed, about five minutes.
• 7 spoon cooked artichoke mixture into a bowl, cover and allow to cool.
• 8 mix remaining parmesan and bread crumbs and chili powder (optional) in a separate bowl.
• 9 form artichoke mixture into small balls using about 1 tablespoon mixture for each ball.
• 10 roll balls in mixture of crumb, cheese and chili powder.
• 11 chill in the refrigerator until firm.
• 12 to serve: arrange artichoke balls on a cookie sheet and run under the broiler or heat in the microwave. or, serve at room temperature.
• 13 stick a colored toothpick in each artichoke ball and place on a colorful plate.