Stuffed artichoke

I found a variation of artichoke that is stout and without sharp claws. It seems to be in season, and is on sale. So I bought two and started my experiment on them. I boil them for only a short time (about 4-5 minutes). Then I de-core them. They are rather easy to de-core. Moreover, the heart of the artichoke is rather big. So there is ample to eat! I love them. This time I tried a different stuffing from what I usually do. Instead of using raw meat, I use ham and paste of peas. It's good!

Recipe: Stuffed artichoke (for 2)

Ingredients:
- 2 large artichokes
Filling
- 2-3 oz ham, finely chopped
- 4 unsweetened water chestnuts, from can, finely chopped
- 3-4 TB paste of cooked chickpea
- 1/3 cup silken tofu, cubed
- dash of garlic powder
- dash of pepper
- salt (optional)
- pinch of marjoram flakes
- 1 tp cornstarch
- 1 TB glutinous rice flour

Procedure:
1. Boil the artichokes fully submerged in water for 4-5 minutes. Drain and allow to cool. Use a pair of scissors to trim off the top of the leaves in order to create an opening. Then use a spoon to dug into the bottom to remove the core.
2. Mix ham, water chestnuts, marjoram and chickpea paste together to form a mixture. Season with pepper, garlic and salt to taste. Add cornstarch and glutinous rice flour to adjust the thickness and stickiness of the mixture until it's really dry and solid. Mix in the tofu loosely. The water from the tofu will moisten the mixture. Stuff the artichokes.
3. Cover the opening of the artichokes and bake at 275F for 1 to 1.5 hours. Serve hot.