Artichokes Roman Style, a simple and tasty recipe prepared in a saucepan with garlic, oil, parsley, and mint. Personally, I don’t like the strong flavor of mint, as it overpowers other flavors, so it’s not in my recipe.
Artichokes Roman style is a preparation we can call light because the cooking method is quite special and uses the humidity produced by water, so we can add fewer fats.
For perfect cooking, my mother always used a saucepan with a lid that closed very well, and to enhance this seal, she placed a damp sheet of paper between the saucepan and the lid.
The cooking, if the artichoke is of good quality and you trim it properly, removing the hard part of the first leaves, will be relatively quick.
You can buy artichokes already cleaned, but I always prefer to trim them myself; it’s not a difficult job, you just need to understand well which parts to remove.
Artichokes are also good in slices in a pan but this whole artichoke cooking is typically Roman, and I recommend trying it if you’re a fan of this vegetable.
I like to remember some simple side dish recipes that are easy to prepare but rich in flavor
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Moderate
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 5
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 123.24 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 16.97 (g) of which sugars 1.38 (g)
- Proteins 4.04 (g)
- Fat 6.09 (g) of which saturated 0.92 (g)of which unsaturated 0.23 (g)
- Fibers 7.74 (g)
- Sodium 544.38 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 134 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 5 artichokes
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 pinches pepper
- 3 pinches salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound lemon (to clean the artichokes)
Tools
To clean the artichokes, I recommend a good smooth-blade knife and a large bowl.
For cooking, a non-stick saucepan with a double bottom is useful to use fewer fats.
- 1 Knife
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Saucepan
Preparation
Artichokes Roman style are ready when the fork easily enters the back of the artichoke near the stem; you can prepare them in advance and warm them in the microwave when serving.
To clean the artichokes well, place them upside down and pull off all the outer leaves by pulling them upwards; you’ll see that they will come off automatically, leaving a small piece on the artichoke. The first outer leaves will come off entirely as they are the hardest; as they become softer, use your thumb to hold the leaf still and pull off only the hard part. Each round you’ll remove fewer leaves because the soft part to keep will prevail. You can also cut them with a knife, but this is the best method.
When you reach the central leaves, the more closed ones, I recommend using the knife and removing only the tips all together with a clean cut at a height just above the last ones you pulled off. As you can see from the photo, it creates a rose-like cut. My advice is to tap the leaf part on the edge of the table to facilitate their opening and use your hand to widen the central part. If there is ‘hair’ in the center of the artichoke, remove it all with a round knife; otherwise, it will be spiny.
Rub each artichoke you cut immediately with half a lemon all around, including leaves and stem, and soak it in a bowl with water and the squeezed lemon juice.
When you have cleaned all the artichokes, prepare the aromas with which they will be seasoned. My mom taught me to prepare everything: salt, pepper, finely chopped garlic, and parsley. Then mix them all together with your fingers.
Once all the spices are mixed, take one artichoke at a time, put inside the center that you had widened by pressing some of those spices, and place it with the leaves touching the bottom of the saucepan. This serves to keep all the flavors inside. When you take the artichokes from the bowl to season them, be careful not to drain them too much because a bit of water is useful for cooking
Add the oil provided by the recipe, cover with a wet parchment paper sheet, and close very well with the lid. Place on a medium flame stove with a high flame for the first 2 minutes, then lower the flame. Let cook for at least 10 minutes before opening the lid for the first time. This will create the right environment to cook your artichokes quickly and without drying out.
As mentioned earlier, your artichokes are ready when they can be easily pierced with a fork. It will take about 20 minutes total. When you check the artichokes during cooking, if they are dry, add a little water. If you pay attention to always close them well and keep the flame high only for the first two minutes, you will see that you won’t need to add any more liquid. The leaves naturally retain some water while they are soaking.
NOTES
Artichokes Roman style are excellent consumed hot, but can also be eaten at room temperature and remain soft and tasty, which is why they are often used for outdoor lunches or savory buffets.
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If you liked the recipe or have questions, do not hesitate to comment here or on social media Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and X.
If you liked the recipe or have questions, do not hesitate to comment here or on social media Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and X.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which artichokes are most suitable?
The artichokes originally intended for this recipe are the ‘mammole,’ but you can easily use the ones you find easily; the important thing is to clean them well from the hard parts and adjust the cooking times based on their size.
