Roman-style artichokes (Carciofi alla Romana)
A classic dish from the Roman region, it is eaten in Italy, especially in the spring. It tastes so authentically Italian and delicious that it simply has to be made.
It takes a bit of effort to clean fresh artichokes, but there is nothing complicated here and the entire dish preparation takes about fifteen minutes.
Preparation time: 1 hour
Level: Easy
Serves: Two to four
Ingredients:
Eight fresh artichokes
A large handful of finely chopped parsley
3 medium cloves of garlic, finely chopped
100 ml dry white wine
50 ml good quality olive oil
Finely ground black pepper and sea salt to season
Grated parmesan, if desired, for sprinkling over the food when serving
A little chopped parsley for garnish
The juice of one lemon to prevent the artichokes from browning
A few lemon wedges when serving
Preparation:
- Preparing the artichokes is a very simple task. Cut off the artichoke stem, leaving about 5-7 cm of stem. Peel the outer, harder part of the stem with a vegetable peeler (about 2-3 mm thick).
- Cut off the leaves from about 1/3 of the top of the artichoke and open the artichoke inflorescence with your fingers slightly so that the contents of the inflorescence are visible. Remove the hairy core inside the inflorescence with a teaspoon, it is not edible.
- Tear off 3-4 layers of the strongest leaves from the artichoke, they will not boil soft. The more tender and juicy leaves should remain.
- Place the prepared artichokes in water with the juice of one lemon squeezed into it.
- Finely chop the parsley, finely chop the garlic and mix with the parsley. Add 5-6 tablespoons of olive oil, season with black pepper and sea salt. Mix until smooth.
- Open the artichoke petals with your fingers and fill them with the parsley-garlic mixture and press some of the filling into the cleaned artichoke core.
- Place the artichokes in a deep ovenproof dish, stem side up, add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, and brown the cut surface for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the wine. Let it boil and evaporate. Add half a glass of water, cover the pot with a lid, reduce the heat to below medium, and simmer for 40-45 minutes.
- By this time, the water should have evaporated and the artichokes should be completely soft. Test the softness with a knife blade. If the knife enters the artichoke or the stem easily, the artichokes are ready.
- Carefully place the artichokes on a serving platter and sprinkle with grated Parmesan if desired. Pour in more olive oil and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Serve warm or chilled.
Ready!!
