• 6 artichokes*
• juice of half a lemon
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 onions, chopped
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• 1 cup chopped prosciutto, country ham, or lean salt pork
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 carrots, chopped
• bouquet garni
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup water

Wash the artichokes, cut off the stems, and remove the outer leaves. Cut off the hard tips of the leaves with kitchen shears. Scald the artichokes in a large pot of salted boiling water, to which the lemon juice has been added, for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Remove the fuzzy choke with a spoon or knife or a melon scoop by forcing open the inner leaves and scooping it out. Scrape the bottom to clean it out as much as possible.

To make the stuffing, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan and gently cook a third of the chopped onions until tender, adding a little salt so they won't stick to the pan. Turn off the heat and add the parsley, ham, salt, pepper, thyme, and garlic. Stir well and check the seasoning.

When the artichokes have cooled, put them upside down and press to force the leaves to open. Push the stuffing between the layers of leaves, forcing it down as deeply as you can. (The distribution need not be precise, but be sure to use all of the filling if possible.) Sprinkle the artichokes with a little olive oil, pepper, and salt (omit this if you used salt pork), and place in a heavy-bottomed casserole or Doufeu.

Sprinkle the carrots, the remaining onions, and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil around the stuffed artichokes in the casserole. Add the bouquet garni and cook over a moderate flame until the vegetables just begin to turn brown. Add the wine and let it come to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 3 to 5 minutes, then add the water. Cover and cook gently for 45 minutes (you may need to add more wine or water if the sauce becomes too thick).

Place the artichokes in a covered shallow dish to keep warm. Force the carrots and onions through a sieve with a large spoon or pestle. Put the purée back into the wine broth, simmer for 5 minutes and pour over the artichokes.