Thursday, June 30, 2011

Artichokes ~ Roman Style


This is one of the side dishes that I have selected for our upcoming gourmet group gathering this weekend - Artichokes Roman Style aka Artichokes alla Romana. After gathering about a half a dozen recipes, I picked the parts of each recipe that appealed to me and came up with this compiled version.

My family loves artichokes and I started serving them to my two daughters when they were young. They used to call them Dip-Intos since we would dip the leaves in melted butter before removing the tender artichoke pulp with our teeth. Getting to the heart was always the bonus of the hard work and piles of artichoke leaves at the table.

This recipe eliminates all of the usual mess of eating artichokes and is so good I may never cook them any other way.


The artichokes are trimmed down to the tender, yellow leaves, the choke removed and they are rubbed with a combination of garlic, herbs and olive oil...


...and then cooked in a bath of olive oil, water, white wine and lemons.



I let time slip away from me and cooked them just a little too long because when I cut them in half some of the leaves separated from the heart. My husband and I didn't care that they were slightly overcooked because they were absolutely delicious. Cooked this way the entire artichoke is edible. If you enjoy artichokes this is a wonderful recipe that can be made ahead which is always a bonus when you have guests for dinner.


Here is a wonderful tutorial showing how to clean artichokes for this recipe:

 

Artichokes ~ Roman Style
Printable Recipe

Serves 6

6 long-stemmed artichokes
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeds removed
4 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons mint, leaves only, roughly chopped, 1 tablespoon reserved
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup water
Coarse sea salt

Watercress for garnish

With a potato peeler or knife, peel dark, bitter outer skin off stems and remove bottom 1” of stem. Remove coarse outer leaves down to softer, more yellow leaves. Remove choke and slice 1” off top of artichoke. Hold in acidulated water or squeeze fresh lemon juice all over the artichokes.

In a small bowl, combine the parsley, mint, garlic, salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil. In the cavity of the artichoke from which the choke was removed, place 1 teaspoon of the herb mixture and rub a little over the top. Repeat this procedure with the remaining chokes.

Arrange all chokes end side up in a deep pan that keeps them close together so they don’t fall over. Scatter the lemon slices around them, pushing them down around the artichokes. Sprinkle the red pepper flakes over the top. Add the oil, wine, and water and a pinch of salt. Cover and simmer over medium low heat on the stovetop for about 30-40 minutes or until just tender. Refrigerate until ready to use and then bring to room temperature.

Remove lemon slices and continue to cook juices until reduced by half. Serve as a sauce, drizzled over artichokes.

When ready to serve, bring artichokes to room temperature. Slice in half and garnish with a sprinkle of sea salt, a drizzle of the cooking sauce, a watercress sprig, and a little reserved chopped mint.

37 comments:

  1. Love artichokes and your video is super helpful!

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  2. They are gorgeous..I would like mine that way..overcooked..they don't look it..they look amazing..Great dish..Have a ball and a nice weekend~

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  3. I love my artichokes overcooked. Thanks for the video. xo

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  4. Yumm!!! I love artichokes!!! gloria

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  5. Someday, I hope to be able to try artichokes. They are not a favorite...can you tell I'm one of your fussy eater readers? Worse than a five-year-old! I did enjoy the video because I am not opposed to cooking for others who enjoy such things.

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  6. Thank you for that video!
    MOST helpful.
    This looks wonderful -- I love artichokes, but don't like them when they are tough -- this recipe looks right up my alley.
    This is a keeper!
    Cass

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  7. Nice tutorial, Susan! We love artichokes...aside from just steaming them (we like scraping all the leaves with our teeth :) ), I've gotten down to the center, sliced and fried them. To die for, but really work-intensive.
    Now with your recipe, there's less work and more artichoke. Delish. Going to keep this link and next time I make them, I'm going to try.
    (I'm loving all the work you're doing on the gourmet dinner. Wish I was coming!)

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  8. I usually have them stuffed, my kids love it that way. But now I will definitely have to try Roman style now, they look fantastic.

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  9. lovely recipe and your girls have a great palate

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  10. These look awesome and I just happen to have two waiting to be used and I have the rest of the ingredients too! I am going to be gourmeting right along with you :-) Sorry I've been so slack visiting blogs...it'll take me forever and a day to catch up!

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  11. Artichokes alla Romana look so gorgeous! I have never prepared fresh artichokes...thanks for sharing the tutorial too!

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  12. Susan, I thank you for this interesting variation on a favorite veggie! DH makes our usual dipping sauce (one of the few recipes he's willing to help with) out of mustard, mayo & lemon juice. Something he learned while skiing in Vale, CO.

    I'm anxious to try your version very soon. It will be a nice change.
    Thanks for posting the video, too.

    Happy 4th!
    fondly,
    Rett

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  13. I printed out your recipe, Susan, and can't wait to try it this weekend. An artichoke vendor has the booth next to mine at our farmer's market. He grows a gorgeous purple Italian artichoke that should be wonderful prepared this way. Arti's are one of our favorite veggies and I know we are going to love this preparation.

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  14. Susan, what a great video and recipe! I just steamed artichokes this past week. Maybe my husband will be more inclined to eat them this way. He thinks it's a lot of effort for his dinner! LOL!!! I on the other hand do not!

    Have a lovely weekend!

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  15. Years ago we used to make artichokes all the time and dip them in mayo and butter. Now we have been lazy and get them form the can. My husband adores them and this would be a great and different way to eat them. Have a great 4th. Joni

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  16. We are not artichoke people, but yours look very good!

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  17. I am so boring... I have always just boiled them/steamed them and either eaten them dipped or scraped the good stuff and put it in a casserole with potatoes... this is a lovely change for them. Delicious on a hot summer day, too!

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  18. Never fixed artichokes before, in fact other than guacamole, have never had them!! I'm so sheltered, they look good!

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  19. I love "carciofi alla romana" ! A great recipe Susan! have a lovely weekend....

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  20. i just adore artichokes but in my mind no artichokes can match the ones I had in Italy years ago, fixed by a family friend. They were tiny and she pan-fried them and we ate them whole. Yours look excellent and I will follow your recipe with the artichokes we get here locally, like the idea of the wine in the broth.

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  21. We've enjoyed artichokes for years (and I always tip my hat to the first person who ate one!) and I've never prepared them or had them prepared this way. I say "goodbye" to the mounds of leaves in the future!

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  22. They look and sound delish! Thanks for sharing the recipe and doing your practice run.

    Have a wonderful holiday!

    Pat

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  23. Complimenti!! Li faccio anche io così.
    Brava!

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  24. Just beautiful! You really did a great job, they are a lot of work but a labour of love.
    Rita

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  25. Susan...thanks for visiting my new little side blog. Hope you find a few things here and there that are of interest. I'll try to keep it recipes only and very few words!
    Happy 4th!!

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  26. Thanks for the video. I'm really pretty artichoke stupid. All I can do is steam them and dip the leaves in curry mayo.

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  27. I LOVE THIS RECIPE MY MOTHER ALWAYS READY with mashed FLORENTINO, DEAR LOOKS DELICIOUS, HUGS i

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  28. I love artichokes and often stuff them and eat them the way you did with your daughters :)
    Trimmed Roma style artichokes are trly delicious luxuries! Did you ever try grilling them? Yhey are fabulous cooked over low heat until tender.

    Happy 4th of July!

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  29. Mmm I do so adore artichokes but have yet to find a really good way to prepare them. This sounds ideal!

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  30. These are beautiful and your recipe is fantastic. This is a wonderful way to fix them. I'm shy of recipes for artichokes, so your recipe will definitely be tried. I hope you have a wonderful holiday. Blessings...Mary,

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  31. A appreciate this post with your delicious recipe and the how-to video. I want to enjoy 'Dip-Intos' too!

    Hope you are all having a very happy 4th of July celebration!

    Kindly, Lorraine

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  32. A great recipe and video~I am inspired!

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  33. Thank you so very much, everyone! It was a long week of preparations and holiday festivities but I feel I am FINALLY getting back to normal - whatever that is ;)

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  34. Hi Susan - I'm back to tell you that this recipe is fantastic! Like you, I will be making this one over and over. I served it as a starter and at another meal added several to each salad plate. Your artichokes got rave reviews. I couldn't wait to post this today. Thanks for a terrific recipe!

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  35. I love your recipe for marinating. I'll definitely try this soon. Thanks for sharing.

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  36. This is so interesting, I've been researching a lot of artichoke recipes and I've never seen them cooked this way! We're hosting an online seasonal potluck and March is artichoke month. If you'd like to link up your recipe, we'd love to have you http://bit.ly/zRfNjo

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  37. I really missed this great recipe and video tutorial back in 2011. But I saw it on your sidebar and had to read the recipe! I so enjoy artichokes (and eat all of those that my husband hates!). Artichokes are so Roman and I love how you prepared them. Gosh, thanks so much for the great video as well!

    Happy Mother's Day,
    Roz

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