• Zest 1-2 medium lemons to acquire ½ teaspoon lemon zest. Scrape zest into small bowl and set aside. Cut zested lemons in half and set aside.

To Prepare the Artichokes

• Rinse 4 large artichokes under cold running water, pulling petals open very carefully, just enough to rinse behind. Once artichokes are rinsed well, pat each artichoke dry with paper towels and place artichokes on cutting board.
• Working one by one, cut away top inch (top 2 or so rows of petals) of artichoke and discard.
• Cut away stem from bottom of artichoke, creating flat base. Cut flush with bottom of artichoke so petals stay intact. Discard stem.
• With kitchen scissors, cut away thorny tips from each petal. Be careful not to cut off more than ½-inch or so. Discard tips. Note: this can be done before cutting away stem if desired for easier handling.
• Hold artichoke upside down and gently but firmly bang artichoke directly onto cutting board or countertop to loosen petals. Do not use so much force or hit surface so many times that petals break or fall off.
• Rub cut side of one lemon half over all fresh cut spots on artichoke - top, stem, and petal tips. Set prepped artichoke aside and repeat process with remaining artichokes until all are prepped.

To Boil the Artichokes

• Add 1-3 cups water to dutch oven or similar large, heavy-bottomed pot. Place pot on stovetop. Add 2 teaspoons salt and stir just to incorporate. Note: don't use too much water! Water in pot should only cover bottom quarter of artichokes.
• Place prepped artichokes right-side up in dutch oven. Make sure artichokes are touching, to prop each other upright during cooking.
• Set heat under dutch oven to high and bring salted water to boil.
• Once water begins to boil, reduce heat under pot to medium-low and cover pot with lid. Boil artichokes, covered, 30 to 60 minutes or until artichokes are tender and petals can be opened and removed easily.
• While artichokes boil, spread out 2 to 3 layers of paper towels on flat surface to drain artichokes. Toward end of boil time, preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit.
• Once artichokes are ready, carefully remove artichokes from dutch oven with tongs. Place artichokes upside-down on paper towels and drain any excess moisture. Discard water from dutch oven.
• Optional: When artichokes are cool enough to handle, carefully pull open petals in center of artichoke, revealing fuzzy choke. Use cookie scoop, melon baller, or small spoon with sharp edge to carefully remove choke and scrape out any remaining fuzz. Return artichoke to paper towels.

For the Stuffed Artichokes

• While artichokes drain, add ½ cup unsalted butter to medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave butter in 30-second increments, stirring well between each burst, until butter is melted but not bubbling or burnt.
• Add 2 ½ cups breadcrumbs, ½ teaspoon lemon zest, ½ cup grated fresh parmesan, ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley, 6 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to bowl with melted butter. Mix ingredients together until fully incorporated and well blended, making sure to cover all breadcrumbs in melted butter.
• Transfer artichokes to baking dish. One by one and starting with outermost row, carefully pull each petal away from artichoke and spoon plenty of stuffing behind and between petals. Repeat until outer 3 to 5 rows of artichoke petals have been stuffed with breadcrumb mixture, then repeat process with remaining artichokes until all breadcrumb mixture has been used.
• Once all artichokes have been stuffed, place baking dish in preheated oven. Bake artichokes 8 to 10 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden and toasted.
• Optional, For Extra Crispy Breadcrumbs: When breadcrumbs are golden, switch oven to broiler setting on high. Broil 1 to 2 minutes or until breadcrumbs are deep brown. Be careful not to burn breadcrumbs.
• When breadcrumbs are ready, remove baking dish from oven. Carefully transfer stuffed artichokes to serving platter or individual plates and garnish with additional chopped fresh parsley. Serve warm with aioli, melted butter, or dipping sauce of choice.