When cooking Carciofi alla romana , the globe artichokes are cooked upside down. Carciofi are arti
Whereas globe artichokes, if stuffed, are cooked upright.
STUFFED ARTICHOKES
I enjoy globe artichokes and typically prepare them by stuffing, braising and serving them hot or cold. If peas or broad beans are in season, they are also added to the braise. A mixture of fresh breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic and grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese is my most frequent stuffing, but I have also used minced meat, black olives and anchovies, or ricotta and almond meal for a delicate variation. Each globe artichoke holds approximately half a cup of stuffing, with larger artichokes containing more.
Once stuffed, the globe artichokes are placed upright and packed tightly into a pan and braised in white wine and/or stock. Extra virgin olive oil is an essential ingredient and it is used liberally.
CARCIOFI ALLA ROMANA
Small artichokes are ideal to cook alla romana – as the Romans do.
The artichokes (carciofi) currently in season in Melbourne are the small, purple, spiny varieties.
The globe artichokes that were in season previously have nearly finished, but some of the smaller, undeveloped ones remain.
RECIPE FOR CARCIOFI ALLA ROMANA
For carciofi alla romana, use the smallest artichokes you can find, but the small, purple, spiny ones would be my preference. In this recipe, the artichokes are also stuffed, but lightly …about a teaspoon of stuffing for each.
Carciofi alla romana are braised, but they are placed upside down and I use greater amounts of oil in the braising liquid – a mixture of water and a little white wine, but the aim is to have very little, concentrated and flavourful liquid at the end of cooking, and this will be mostly oil.
The stuffing:
For the stuffing for the number of artichokes I had (9) I used 1 large clove of garlic, ½ cup fresh parsley finely chopped, ½ cup fresh mint finely chopped, salt and pepper and all mixed with a little extra, virgin olive oil.
Clean and prepare the artichokes as you would globe artichokes. Use acidulated water (1 lemon). Peel off the tough outer leaves until you reach the softer paler leaves. The stems of my artichokes were not worth peeling, but if they are, peel the outer layer of the stem and, as is usual with this recipe, keep the stems attached to the base. Cut approximately one-third of the top of the artichoke to remove the spiny leaves. Using your fingers, gently separate the leaves in the centre of each artichoke to create a space for the stuffing.
Mix the garlic, parsley, seasoning and mint with 1 tablespoon of oil. Stuff the artichokes with this mixture.
Place about 1 cm of olive oil in the bottom of a narrow pot and arrange the artichokes close together and side by side…. but upside down. Add a little white wine and enough water to reach about 1/3 from the top of the height of the artichoke. Add salt and pepper, cover and simmer over low heat until the artichokes are soft and can be easily pierced with a fork.
Check them occasionally and if they are too dry add a little water if necessary in small amounts.
When the artichokes are cooked, remove the lid, turn up the heat and evaporate the liquid until you have mainly oil. Remove the artichokes from the pot, drizzle the liquid over them and serve them at room temperature.
There are a number of recipes on my blog about artichokes and accompanying photos. Artichokes are not difficult to prepare and cook, and they are delicious.
SBS Italian Radio; Stuffed artichokes; photos
CARCIOFI FARCITI (Stuffed artichokes: with meat and with olives and anchovies)
STUFFED ARTICHOKES WITH RICOTTA AND ALMOND MEAL
To find other recipes, use the search button on my blog and key in Artichokes.
