It is August and winter in Melbourne, and I am on the lookout for artichokes.
Fresh produce has always been essential to my cooking, and I am fortunate to live very close to Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market, where seasonal ingredients are always within reach. Before the lockdown restrictions, I also shopped at various Farmers’ Markets, but for now, QVM is my main source of beautiful winter produce.
Last weekend I found these exceptionally green artichokes—local, in season, and noticeably different from the varieties available earlier in the year. Their freshness was unmistakable.
A few days later I purchased a handful of baby artichokes. These appear when the artichoke plant is nearing the end of its season. The plant no longer has the energy to produce full-sized globes, so it sends out smaller offshoots. They are often used for pickling. Unlike the bright-green mature artichokes, these babies are tinged with purple.
And what is the bunch of greens sitting beside them? Cime di rapa—a welcome surprise this late in the season, and still in excellent condition.
Stuffed Winter Artichokes
With the large artichokes, I made a classic stuffed version. I filled the centres with fresh breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan, garlic, parsley and extra virgin olive oil, then braised them in a mixture of white wine, stock and more olive oil.
Potatoes help keep the artichokes upright as they cook, and they absorb the braising liquid beautifully. The liquid should reach below the top of each artichoke. The potatoes are delicious as they soak up the flavours of the artichoke braising liquid.
Artichokes should fit snugly in the pan. Sometimes the stems help keep them secure; other times I use potatoes to prop them up.
And what did I do with the baby artichokes?
Baby Artichokes in Risotto
The baby artichokes were braised in stock, white wine and extra virgin olive oil. Once cooked, I used their fragrant braising liquid as the base for a delicate risotto.
For the risotto:
Sauté garlic and onion in extra virgin olive oil.
Add the rice and stir until well coated.
Warm the artichoke braising liquid and add it gradually, as you would for a traditional risotto.
Stir through parsley halfway through cooking. Add the cooked baby artichokes and a small knob of butter during the final absorption of the stock.
The risotto should be served all’onda—soft, creamy and rippling like waves.
Finish with grated Parmesan, if you wish, though I often prefer tasting the natural sweetness of the artichokes without cheese.
Carciofi and Carciofini
In Italian, carciofi are artichokes and carciofini are baby artichokes.
My blog contains many artichoke recipes; here are a few you might enjoy:
CARCIOFI IMBOTTITI (Stuffed artichokes)
CARCIOFINI SOTT’ OLIO (Preserved artichokes in oil)
CARCIOFI (Artichokes and how to clean them and prepare them for cooking)
CARCIOFI FARCITI (Stuffed artichokes: with meat and with olives and anchovies)
There are also recipes on my blog for Cime di Rapa.