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carciofi alla romana or roman style artichokes

Carciofi alla Romana (Roman Style Artichokes)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 artichokes
Author: Nico Pallotta

To cook the artichokes

  • 6 artichokes
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ⅓ cup dry white wine or vegetable broth
  • 1 cup water

For the condiment

  • ½ cup flat-leaf parsley
  • ¼ cup mint
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 lemon

CLEAN ARTICHOKES

  • Fill up a large bowl with cold water, then squeeze the juice of a lemon in it. Set aside.
    With a serrated knife, cut off the top spiky ⅓ top part of the artichoke.
    Tip: when handling artichokes, brush your hands with lemon juice or wear gloves to prevent your finger from turning brown.
    cutting off the thorns of the artichokes
  • Rub the cut part with lemon to prevent it from turning brown.
    lemon and artichoke and hands
  • Remove tough outer leaves.
    hands removing leaves from artichoke
  • Trim the stem down to 2 inches (5 cm) and peel it.
    hands trimming stem of artichoke
  • With your thumbs, loosen up the head of the artichoke, exposing the choke.
    With a knife or with a sturdy teaspoon, remove the choke - the fuzzy central part.
    removing core part of artichoke
  • Put each cleaned artichoke in the bowl with the lemon water to prevent discoloration and browning, and repeat till you clean all.
    artichokes in cold lemon water

COOK ARTICHOKES

  • Chop together mint, parsley, and garlic. Add the mix to a small bowl and season it with salt, pepper, and olive oil.
    parsley and oil mix in a bowl
  • With your fingers, add the herbs in the centre and between the leaves of the artichoke.
    artichokes with olive oil and parsley marinade
  • In a pot big enough to fit all the artichokes snuggly, warm up the olive oil. Then add the artichokes, upside down, and side by side, quite tight.
    artichokes in a Dutch oven
  • Fry for 1 minute then add the white wine, cook for 2 minutes, then add 1 cup of water, a pinch of salt, pepper and the leftover herb mix (if any) on top.
    artichokes simmering in a pot
  • Cover the pot and cook for about 20 minutes on medium to low heat, or until the artichokes are buttery tender.
    Pierce the stem with a knife to check for doneness.
    Braised artichokes with lemon
  • Serve as a starter, side, or as a snack as filling in a sandwich. They can be eaten warm or at room temperature.
    Braised artichokes and lemon tofu
Nutrition information is an estimate for one roman style artichoke out of six.
TIPS
Find fresh artichokes
Fresh artichokes are strongly recommended for this recipe because they are less "hairy" inside.
An artichoke is fresh when it's 1) heavy, 2) squeaky when you squeeze its head/leaves, 3) toned, not floppy, especially the stalk, and 4) it has a uniform color with no dark spots.
Don't throw out the craps
Check out how we use them for soups, hummus, and pasta.
MAKE AHEAD & STORAGE
- Make ahead: carciofi alla Romana is an excellent recipe to prepare ahead of time. You can clean the artichokes and keep them in cold lemon water in the fridge for 24 hours. If you cook them, they keep well for a couple of days.
- Refrigerator: keep roman style artichokes in an airtight container in the fridge for three days.
- Freezer: you can freeze the artichokes for up to 3 months. However, they will lose some of their texture as they thaw.
- Thaw: defrost in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: you can eat carciofi alla Romana at room temperature - in this case, take them out of the fridge 30 minutes before eating - or warm them up in the microwave.
 
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