Carciofi Alla Giudia, for Two
Crispy on the outside and beautifully tender inside!
This is another in my series of Cooking for Two.
Want a fun and unusual appetizer for two?
Carciofi Alla Giudia, for Two - Artichokes Jewish-Roman style
One of the things that was difficult to get used to once we moved to the country and now have fewer dinner parties, and fewer regularly mooching grown children, is cooking for two people.
It’s kind of like going back to post college days, except now we have forty years of culinary experience, some good, and some not so good.
Inspired by Goats On The Road (a couple I follow that travels and writes for a living) and their trip to Rome, Carciofi alla Giudia, Artichokes Jewish-Roman style.
Yum!
This recipe is an artichoke that has been flattened and deep-fried, transformed into a crisp, golden flower.
Crispy on the outside and beautifully tender inside!
As much as I write negatively about corporate farms, we had a very pleasant experience with Ocean Mist farms during the pandemic.
We were craving artichokes and found you could get fresh ones from Ocean Mist.
We wanted to know when “Artichoke season” was and contacted Ocean Mist. To our surprise they responded and informed us that Spring is the first cutting, translation, most tender, best ones.
You can get them all year ‘round, but in our experience the Spring cutting is the best.
We actually had a farm at our farmer’s market that grew and sold artichokes, so if you can find them locally, those are your best choice.
They will be unforgettable! I promise!
Look for bright green globe artichokes. Look at the stems, they should look tender, sort of like celery and not stringy.
If you want to make these for a dinner party, go with 1 or 2 artichokes per person and multiply the recipe appropriately. I have a deep sided cast iron pan I use to fry chicken, this is handy when you’re frying more than 4 artichokes.
Ingredients
3 lemons, 2 sliced in half, 1 sliced in quarters
4 large artichokes (Use globe artichokes for this recipe.)
Olive oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil, for frying
Kosher salt
Instructions
Fill a large bowl with water; halve and squeeze 2 lemons into it.
Start trimming by pulling off the artichoke’s leaves until you get down to the very fine, thin yellow leaves in the center. You want to keep the base of the leaves attached to the heart. Your trimmed artichokes should look like a closed rosebud.
Transfer the peeled artichokes to the bowl of lemon water.
In a deep cast iron pan or deep fryer, heat 2 to 3 inches of oil to 280°F.
Carefully add the artichokes and cook until tender (you should be able to pierce their hearts easily with a fork), about 15 minutes. Turn artichokes frequently for even cooking.
Using a slotted spoon transfer artichokes to a paper towel-line plate. Let stand until cool enough to handle.
Using your hands, gently pull open each artichoke "bud" so that it resembles an open flower. Remove and discard the hairy "choke" in the center of the artichoke.
Increase oil temperature to 350°F.
Fry artichokes until browned and crisp, 2 to 5 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Season immediately with salt.
Transfer to plates and serve right away with wedges of remaining lemon.
With this recipe you’re not going to peel the leaves off, you’re going to eat the whole thing!
Enjoy!
WONDERFUL!
They look amazing!