In Rome the artichoke is the king of the table, an ingredient of traditional Roman gastronomy, a characteristic dish, an absolute must-try. The question is: are the Roman artichoke and the Jewish artichoke the same thing?
Many tend to confuse the two recipes, but let's try to dispel any doubts: i Giudia style artichokes they are a delicious recipe to enjoy artichokes fried, while I artichokes alla Romana I am cooked in a pan.
Giudia style artichokes recipe
Giudia artichokes, as the name suggests, are a dish typical of Judaic/Roman cuisine, preparation is simple if you follow all the steps, from cleaning to frying. The leaves of the Giudia artichokes are removed by hand and are crunchy. Everyone has a technique for making this recipe, here we will propose one of the many versions, obviously frying plump artichokes, also called violets or cimaroli.
Ingredients
- artichokes,
- waterfall,
- lemon,
- salt,
- seed oil,
- black pepper.
Method
To start preparing them you need to remove the outer leaves until you get to the softest ones. Then cut with a small knife, proceeding in a spiral, until the artichoke has a rounded shape, similar to a rose. Remove the toughest part of the stem and the beard in the center of the flower. To open the leaves well, slam the artichoke upside down on a cutting board, holding it by the stem without pressing too hard so as not to break the leaves. While banging, you can help yourself with your hands to widen it. Once the cleaning is finished, it is necessary dip the artichokes, for about ten minutes, in water and lemon to prevent them from blackening. Heat some seed oil in a saucepan, just enough so that only the artichoke heads are immersed. After heating theoil (it must not be boiling but at a temperature of 140°/150°, for this operation we recommend monitoring the temperature with a thermometer to ensure even cooking of the artichokes) soak them for 10/15 minutes, being careful not to let them become too soft.
During the frying operation, protect yourself from any splashes of hot oil. Take the kitchen tongs and while the artichoke is frying, press the artichoke little by little on the bottom, holding it by the stem; it will take approx 6-7 minutes of cooking. Towards the end of cooking, turn it on its side to allow the stem to cook and then drain it. Remove them from the oil and arrange them upside down on a tray until they have lost the excess oil. After opening the flower further with a fork and salting them, pass them again in the oil, a little hotter than before, to fry them permanently.
The trick to making them crispy? A splash of water during cooking, but be careful not to burn yourself.
Roman artichoke recipe
To the ingredients of the Giudia artichoke recipe, only garlic, parsley and mint are added. Nothing is left to chance in the preparation of Roman-style artichokes: from the choice of the variety of artichoke, the violet (or Roman artichoke) which stands out from the others for its rounder shape and its non-thorny leaves, then the mint (or Roman mint) and a clove of garlic to flavor the inside.
Finally, the magic happens in a pan: with gentle, slow cooking, this hard-skinned flower is transformed into a delicious side dish.
Ingredients
- Roman artichokes,
- Roman mint,
- garlic,
- oil,
- salt,
- pepper,
- parsley,
- lemon,
- waterfall.
Method
To prepare Roman-style artichokes, first you need to cut a lemon in half, then fill a bowl with water and squeeze the half lemon inside and rub the remaining part on your hands, in this way they will not blacken while cleaning the artichokes.
Clean the artichokes starting to remove the outer leaves tearing them with your hands. Then cut the final part of the stem and the tip of the artichoke.
With your hands, widen the artichoke and also cut the central part in order to eliminate the internal beard. Chop the mint, garlic and parsley, put the mixture in a container, salt it, pepper it and add two or three tablespoons of oil. Open the artichokes a little with a teaspoon and fill them with the chopped flavours, close them well and place them, upside down, in a pan with high sides, making sure that the artichokes are very close to each other and there is no space left over. Pour a glass of water and a half of oil, cover them with a lid or with the baking paper and leave to simmer on low heat for 45 minutes. When the fork sinks gently into the artichoke, it means that you can serve them on the table.
In conclusion we ask ourselves: is a Jewish-style or Roman-style artichoke better? This question could be followed by an endless debate.
Better, At that time, taste them both and let the palate decide.
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