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,
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… ?
Carciofi alla romana
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
Instructions
- Trim each artichoke of its outer leaves and choke.
- Stuffing and cooking the artichokes
- 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,
- Then stand the artichokes up, stems upward, in a terracotta casserole or enameled cast iron Dutch oven or other heavy pot with tall sides.
- 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.
- Cover the pot tightly. Let the artichokes braise over medium-low heat for about 20-30 minutes, depending on the size and age of the vegetable.
- Uncover the pot and allow the artichokes to cool before serving, moistened with a bit of the liquid.
And you might also like...
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Pollo in padella (Pan Roasted Chicken)
Cacciucco (Tuscan Fish Soup)
Gnocchi alla romana (Roman Semolina Gnocchi)
Pasta salmone e piselli (Pasta with Salmon and Peas)
Carbonade valdostana
Coscia di tacchino ripiena al forno (Oven-Roasted Rolled Stuffed Turkey Thigh)
Columbus Day Special: Spaghetti and Meatballs
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Brasato ai funghi (Italian Pot Roast with Mushrooms)
26 Comments on “Carciofi alla romana (Roman Style Artichokes)”
Yum. I never seem to be in Roma during carciofi season. Need to fix that! Ciao, Cristina
That’s for sure. Best time of year!
I appreciate the insight into choosing and preparing the artichokes—it’s like having a virtual cooking lesson! Can’t wait to give this recipe a try and savor the flavors of Rome in my own kitchen.
Thanks, Raymund! Hope you like it if you do give it a try.
Every year when fresh artichokes show up in the store, I always think “I should get some and make a fun artichoke dish.” But I never seem to do it. This year is different! I want to make this recipe ASAP as it sounds quite delicious. Great recipe as always, Frank!
Thanks, David! The trimming is such a barrier to entry for so many people, but as I hope this posts makes clear, it’s really not all that hard.
I loved having carciofi alla giudia when in Rome but could never try carciofi alla romana because of the garlic. Perhaps I should try this with a minced shallot. Regarding the nepeta, it’s really easy to grow — I’m surprised it’s not already in your garden. We never make porcini without it. New plants growing, so excited to give this a go.
I bet it would work fine with shallots, David. Worth a try anyway! And yes, I’m going to go look for nepeta at our local nursery. After all these years, I had no idea it existed here until now!
We live in the land of artichokes here in Northern California. I buy them at the farmer’s market and appreciate this recipe. I just hope I don’t cut off my finger when I trim the artichokes.
Lucky you! I bet you have access to some really fresh artichokes. And this’d be a fantastic way to enjoy them. And I’m sure you’ll have all your finger when you’re done. 🙂
We had artichokes when we were in Rome last year and they were delicious. I’ve been afraid of cooking them at home but your instructions are detailed and easy to follow so I’m going to give these a try. What an absolutely gorgeous appetizer or as you mentioned, light dinner.
Enjoy, Eva! I actually find trimming artichokes kind of fun.
I enjoy artichokes but I never cook with them. There used to be an italian restaurant near us that cooked deep-fried artichokes – soooo delish!
cheers
sherry
Indeed, deep fried artichokes are also delicious.
I would definitely pay extra if I could by those pre-trimmed artichokes. Your simple version sounds terrific and yes to soaking up the cooking liquid with some crusty bread.
Thanks so much, Karen. And yes, those pre-trimmed artichokes were a real convenience. And watching the sellers trim the artichokes was super entertaining.
I love that they keep the long stems as they are good as well.
Just back from France, but this recipe is stirring the yearning for roman cookery! I didn’t realize that roman mint is the nepatela with almost floral-scented leaves I grow in the garden and use when sauteeing mushrooms (especially porcini, when we can get them). I’ve got a new plant started; I hope it is big enough to support the artichoke recipe… if not this year, certainly next.
You’re so lucky you have that plant in the garden, Mark! I had given up on nepitella until I just found out in researching for this recipe that you can buy the seeds here. And yes, it’s wonderful with mushrooms.
I’m sure you can buy the plants at a garden center — they are used everywhere for landscaping!
Another delicious classic and I’d keep the cooking liquid too!
🙂
I have never prepared or had fresh artichokes. This seems easy enough for a newbie like me to make and it looks super duper delicious too.
Definitely worth a try, Angie! Quite doable once you get the hang of it.
Hi again Frank. Just back from Andalusia where there where alcachofa a plenty. One thing for sure, artichokes need mint. I like a mint, garlic, breadcrumb and anchovy stuffing fried in lots of oil so that it rises when you press in the stuffing with your thumb. Sit them up to simmer/steam in water that goes halfway up their sides. Add a little vinegar and extra oil to the liquid and toss into it any extra filling you may have. Makes a magnificent soup base to enjoy later.
Sounds delicious, John. The anchovies sound amazing. I’ll have to try that soon.