Start by cleaning the artichokes. Give them a good rinse, then trim the stem leaving about 2 inches.
Remove some of the small inedible petals around the outside and attached to the stem.
Using a vegetable peeler, remove the outside of the stem away to expose the tender insides.
Next, use kitchen scissors to snip off the spiky tips of the outer leaves.
Finally, cut away the very top of the artichoke to expose the inner petals. A serrated knife makes removing the top a bit easier to remove the top inch because the raw leaves tend to slip away from a straight blade.
Place whole artichokes in a large pot with enough water to cover half of the artichoke. Then, add 3-4 tablespoons of salt, and a drizzle of olive oil to the water for seasoning.
Bring the water to a boil. Then, turn it down to a simmer and cover.
Steam the artichokes for 40-45 minutes.
Next, make the breadcrumb mixture by melting 3 tablespoons of butter in a microwave safe bowl. Add bread crumb, grated Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, minced garlic, and minced fresh mint to the butter and use a fork to stir together. You should have a mixture with a nice crumbly texture.
Remove cooked artichokes from the pot and pat away excess water.
Then, carefully cut the artichoke in half long ways exposing the heart and choke. The choke is the fuzzy part with a hair like texture above the heart at the center of the artichoke.
Use a paring knife or a spoon and scrape the choke out completely. I also remove some of the smaller petals from the center as they tend to have rough tips and aren't pleasant to eat.
Place artichoke halves, cut side up, on a lined sheet pan and gently pull the layers of petals and sprinkle the stuffing mixture through the artichoke and fill the centers near the heart.
Once all of the artichokes have been stuffed, place them under a low broiler for approximately 4 minutes, keeping a close eye on them.
The high heat of the broiler will toast the bread crumb stuffing and brown the edges of the artichoke halves.