Artichoke Bottoms Stuffed with Sausage and Ham

This hors d’oeuvre from the Languedoc is called fonds d’artichauts farcis. There, the cook would use prosciutto or some other locally cured ham in the stuffing. The finished artichoke foundations should be sitting on a bed of tomato sauce, not swimming in it. Because of the labor and expense involved with preparing twenty-eight artichokes, I usually used canned artichoke hearts. If using fresh artichokes, for instructions on preparing them.