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Artichokes
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Identity Card
Name: Artichoke
Product category: The edible head of an herbaceous plant of the same name, native to the Mediterranean basin
Color and texture: The heart of the vegetable is enclosed in bracteal leaves, providing a purplish-green protective sheath
Area of production: Throughout Italy, but in particular in the Central Southern region and on the two major islands
How eaten: Raw or cooked
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When seen growing in the field, upright and protected by its prickly leaves, the artichoke gives the impression of being an austere, rather cantankerous plant, but in truth, deep down, under its forbidding exterior, there beats a tender heart, rich in potassium and magnesium.
The important thing is knowing how to deal with it, how to cook it without rushing and learning to savor it in the time-honored fashion. In order to appreciate their fine attributes you have to get them while still very fresh and imbued with an intense green color.
When they are small and still young and tender, artichokes may be eaten raw in salads, with a dribble of olive oil and some lemon juice, or simply dressed like one usually does with lettuce. If, however, they are large, you can still use the heart raw, but you have to cook the rest in order to make the tough outer leaves tender enough to eat.
Preparing artichokes is actually not all that difficult; all you have to do is wash them and place them in a small Dutch oven with a little olive oil, salt and plenty of water. Let them cook over a slow flame for 40-45 minutes, until the liquid has been reduced and the artichokes have reached just the right degree of tenderness.
A genuine specialty, but one that requires quite a bit of practice and skill to prepare, is "carciofi alla giudia", a dish in which the artichokes are fried according to the time-honored canons of the Roman-Jewish cooking tradition. It's much easier to prepare batter-fried artichoke hearts (and the handy frozen ones work great), ready in just ten minutes. All you have to do is sauté them in a pan with garlic, olive oil, some hot pepper and a handful of parsley.
Delicious in first-course pasta dishes, artichokes make a great topping along with a little cream and a few delicate scallions. But they should also be tried in combination with clams (preferably shelled) and served over Bavette or Tagliolini all'uovo.
It's sometimes difficult to settle on the right wine, given the particular taste of this exquisite vegetable. For a dish featuring artichokes with mollusks, we would suggest the rich bouquet and aroma of a Falanghina, whereas a Lambrusco Reggiano, with its unmistakably fresh, sweet taste, is absolutely delightful with fried artichoke hearts.
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