Name: Carciofi alla romana
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 4-6 globe artichokes; 4-6 cloves of garlic (finely minced); A few sprigs of parsley (finely minced); A few sprigs of mint (finely minced); Salt and pepper; Olive oil

Artichokes are back in season! There is scarcely any vegetable more typical of Roman cooking, perhaps of all Italian cookery, than the artichoke. One of the most iconic Roman artichoke dishes is called, appropriately enough, carciofi alla romana or ‘Roman Style Artichokes. Stuffed, trimmed but whole, with garlic and herbs, and braised in olive oil and water, nothing could be simpler, or more flavorful.

While carciofi alla romana may lack the visual wow factor of that other iconic Roman artichoke dish, carciofi alla giudia, this dish more than makes up for it with its exquisite flavor. It’s hard to describe, but suffice it to say the braise brings out the artichokes’ essence like no other method, and the garlic and mint complement it perfectly. You just really need to try it, and you’ll immediately understand why it’s become an icon of the Eternal City.

Carciofi alla romana are very versatile. They can be a side dish or contorno, an antipasto, or even a light vegan/vegetarian main course or secondo. And I’ve been known to make a light supper of them, just with some crusty bread to soak up those oh-so-delicious juices.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

4-6 globe artichokes
4-6 cloves of garlic, finely minced
A few sprigs of parsley, finely minced
A few sprigs of mint, finely minced
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Directions

Trim each artichoke of its outer leaves and choke following the instructions in the Notes below.

Mince the garlic, parsley and mint into a rough paste, season with salt and pepper. Fill the hallowed out cores of the artichokes with this mixture, packing it in well,

Carciofi alla romana (Roman Style Artichokes)

Then stand the artichokes up, stems upward, in a terracotta casserole or enameled cast iron Dutch oven or other heavy pot with tall sides. Ideally, the artichokes will fit snugly in the pot as pictured below, so they remain standing while they cook:

NB: You may need to trim off a bit more of the stem so you can cover the pot tightly.

Pour a generous amount of olive oil over the artichokes, then pour enough water into the pot to come halfway up the artichokes (not counting their stems).

Season the artichokes generously. If you have any extra garlic-and-herb stuffing, you can add it to the cooking liquid. (And even if I don’t, I like to add a sprig or two of mint and an extra clove of garlic.)

Cover the pot tightly. (If your lid doesn’t fit tightly, you can line the artichokes with parchment paper or aluminum foil.) Let the artichokes braise over medium-low heat for about 20-30 minutes, depending on the size and age of the vegetable. Check for doneness with a paring knife; they should be perfectly tender but not mushy.

Uncover the pot and allow the artichokes to cool before serving, moistened with a bit of the liquid.

Notes

Carciofi alla romana calls for the larger sort of artichokes known as mammole in Italian. These correspond roughly to our globe artichokes, but ours are a bit larger and more fibrous, with a more substantial choke. This makes trimming a globe artichoke is a bit trickier than a mammola, but it’s perfectly do-able. They also take a bit longer to cook. Most Italian recipes for carciofi alla romana call for a 20 minutes braise, but in my experience globe artichokes will take longer, perhaps 30.

In Rome, the mint would be the local wild variety calamintha nepeta, colloquially called mentuccia or nepitella. Outside Rome it’s sometimes called menta romana or Roman mint. In English, it’s Lesser Calamint. It has a lovely delicate yet aromatic taste, which some liken to a cross between mint and oregano. You can’t find it where I live, so I just use whatever mint I can find. There are some who try to mimic the taste by mixing mint with a bit of fresh oregano or marjoram, but I don’t bother. And if you really want that true Roman taste, you can always grown your own. Here is the US, Lesser Calamint is sold as a decorative plant, and it’s easy to find the seeds online.

Choosing an artichoke

When an artichoke is fresh, its leaves will cling tightly to the vegetable and show no sign of discoloration. Unfortunately, it is rare to find such fresh specimens in my area, but I sometimes luck out. Take a look at this photo: if you can, you want to avoid artichokes that look like the one of the left, with their open, discolored leaves, try to find ones like the one on the right:

The good news is that this treatment works fairly well even with long in the tooth specimens like the one pictured at the left. Slightly smaller artichokes will also work—and they will cook in less time—but ‘baby’ artichokes aren’t ideal for this treatment.

How to Trim an Artichoke

The only tricky part of making carciofi alla romana, like any artichoke dish, is the initial trimming of the artichoke. Much of a mature artichoke—namely, the outer leaves and the inner core or ‘choke’—is inedible. The Italian way with artichokes is to trim them of all their inedible parts before cooking them.

In Rome, many markets, including the famous Campo de’ fiori market near our place, would sell you pre-trimmed artichokes—at a higher price, of course. For me it was always worth the extra expense to save myself the trouble. But these days I have to perform this operation myself. And I’m guessing you’ll need to as well. It’s not all that difficult, but it takes some practice to get the hang of it.

First, trim off the base of the stem and pare away its tough, fibrous outer layer.

Then remove all the tough outer leaves from the artichoke. Beneath, you will find thinner, lighter colored leaves that you should leave on.

Now cut off the tip of the artichoke. Arm yourself with a very sharp, solid paring knife, preferably one with a curved blade called a ‘bird’s beak’ like the one pictured above and below. Starting from the base just above the stem, hold the artichoke in one hand and rotate as you pare away, as if you were peeling an apple. Start at the base, trimming off its tough green outer layer, then move up the artichoke little by little, trimming off the dark green tips from the leaves. You should wind up with something looking like this:

NB: If this method sounds like too much work, you can simply cut off the tip of the artichoke closer to the base, low enough down so only the (mostly) edible bits are left.

Finally, remove the choke. Use your paring knife to cut around the thin, spiny leaves at the center of the artichoke. Then, taking a small spoon, scoop out the leaves along with the fuzzy core or ‘choke’. Wash the cavity out the well well under running water to remove any stray fuzz. Your finished artichoke should look something like this:

As you finish each artichoke, immediately plunge it in acidulated water.

All the while as you are paring the artichoke, rub it with the exposed side of a half lemon. This will prevent discoloration.

Post scriptum

By the way, I never throw away the cooking liquid when I make carciofi alla romana. It is perfectly delicious. Although perhaps not very orthodox, I like to serve the liquid at table, for dipping with nice crusty bread. Or just keep it for yourself… ?

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