RAW ARTICHOKE AND PARMESAN SALAD is a delicate and delicious starter that can be offered in the spring season, ideal for delivering lightness, flavour and originality while bringing some excellences of our Italian cuisine to the table.
In fact, despite its apparent simplicity, this salad sees the happy pairing of particularly prized ingredients: our artichokes, which exist in many tasty varieties, Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Grana Padano, if you prefer), extra virgin olive oil and Modena balsamic vinegar. I also add a few mint leaves, which marry wonderfully with the artichokes and add further complexity to the dish. Although easy to prepare, the artichoke salad offers an interesting symphony to our palate: crunchy and aromatic, it brings many flavours together and blends them perfectly.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: No-cook
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 4 mammole artichokes
- 4 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano (to be shaved into flakes)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- 6 leaves mint
- balsamic vinegar (of Modena)
- 1 lemon
Tools
- 1 Knife
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Salad bowl
- 1 Vegetable peeler
Steps
The preparation of the RAW ARTICHOKE AND PARMESAN SALAD is simple and very quick. To make it, I recommend using the mammole, romanesco or cimarolo artichoke varieties, which have wide, tender leaves and a soft heart.
Trim the artichokes by removing the tougher outer leaves down to the heart, about 3/4 of the stem, the tips and the inner choke. To prevent your hands from darkening, I suggest wearing gloves.
Then slice them very thinly with a smooth-bladed knife and place the slices in cold water acidified with lemon juice to prevent them from oxidizing.
Drain them well, pat dry with paper towels, and place them in a large bowl. Dress with the olive oil, season with salt, add the chopped mint leaves, the Parmesan shavings (use a vegetable peeler to make them) and toss.
Serve on plates and finish each portion with a drizzle of Modena balsamic vinegar.
STORAGE
You can store the artichoke salad in the refrigerator for 1 day, covered with plastic wrap.
