Provencal Artichokes Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Tapenade

When the first artichokes rose from my semi-dormant thistle bed, like Lazarus from the dead, I found excuse enough to search for any leftover rose bottles that may have escaped last summer’s debauchery to celebrate with. I walk out to my garden with nothing more than a simple lunch and a bottle of rosé on my mind. I blankly stared at my artichokes as if somehow they might reveal how they’d like to be prepared. Would it be slow cooked in a barigoule or perhaps just simply steamed with a hollandaise?  I stood in my garden for a long time, surrounded by an audience of fava beans, peas, lettuce, and mint who decided to join the debate. My basil, feeling left out and secluded, angrily voiced their opinion. One glass of rosé quickly became two. And with that came the near constant pining to be in Provence, perhaps living my life quietly in Daudet’s windmill, penning a manuscript of a simple, authentic life. The sentiment grew more visceral as the weather continued to warm. Dishes like tapenade, anchoïade (anchovy dip) and loup de mer (Mediterranean sea bass) grilled over dried fennel stems replaced the now tired repertoire of hearty winter dishes...Please visit Perfectly Provence, one of my absolutely favorite sites on all things Provence, to read the rest of the story and get my incredible recipe.I like to wander through the pages of Perfectly Provence when I am sitting at home in the states daydreaming about Provence. Perfectly Provence is an online magazine dedicated to Provencal food, lifestyle and Mediterranean living.