If you love artichokes, you absolutely have to try Roman artichokes. They are perfect to accompany meat dishes or to enjoy simply with some good rustic bread. Their main feature is slow cooking in oil and water, which makes them incredibly tender and flavorful. Choosing the right variety is crucial: for this recipe, we use mammole, a type of thornless artichoke with a tender heart, perfect for stuffing with a flavorful mixture of parsley, mint, and garlic.
If you’re looking for more ideas, take a look here:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Slow cooking, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Winter, Spring
Ingredients
- 4 mammole artichokes
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 bunch mint
- 2 cloves garlic
- Half lemon
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- as needed salt
- as needed water (hot about 1 quart)
- 5 fl oz white wine
Tools
- Casserole
Steps
The first thing to do is clean the artichokes. Remove the tougher outer leaves until you reach the lighter, tender ones, then cut off the top of the artichoke, peel the stem to remove the more fibrous part (I use a peeler) and shorten it. To prevent them from darkening, immediately rub them with lemon.
Prepare the aromatic mixture: finely chop the parsley, mint, and garlic and mix everything with a pinch of salt.Gently spread the artichoke leaves with your hands and stuff the heart with the mixture, trying to distribute it well also between the inner leaves. Recompact the artichoke by squeezing it gently with your hands.
Pour a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil into a casserole, place the artichokes with the stems facing up, close together so they stay upright during cooking.
When the top of the artichokes is golden, lay them on their side and continue to brown them, turning them gently on all sides with tongs. Once well browned, deglaze with white wine. When the alcohol has completely evaporated, add the hot water, making sure it covers the artichokes halfway, no more.
Adjust the salt and, if you like, add a grind of pepper.
Cover with a lid and let cook on low heat for about forty minutes. Check occasionally to see that the liquid does not dry out too much.
To check for doneness, pierce the stem with a fork: if it is tender, the artichokes are ready.
Serve them hot, or let them cool because they are also delicious at room temperature. They are perfect for accompanying meat dishes, but you can also enjoy them on their own for a light and flavorful meal!
Tips
– If you want to add an extra touch of flavor, you can add a pinch of chopped chili pepper to the parsley and mint mixture.
– For an even richer result, you can replace part of the water with vegetable broth.
– If the artichokes are very large, you can also cut them in half before cooking to make preparation and even cooking easier.
Storage
Roman artichokes can be stored in the fridge for up to 2-3 days in an airtight container. To keep them fresh, make sure they are well covered with their cooking liquid. If you want to store them for longer, you can freeze them after cooking, but it’s best to do so without adding the cooking liquid. In this case, thaw them slowly in the fridge before reheating.
