CARCIOFI ALL GIUDIA (JEWISH ARTICHOKES)

This is a great Italian recipe. Our family loves it!

This delicious artichoke dish, often served on Passover, is the most famous of all Italian Jewish foods.

12 medium, fresh artichokes
2 lemons, juice and rinds
2 T salt
1 t ground black pepper
3 cups olive oil

Trim the artichokes as described above and keep them in lemon water until you are ready to cook them.

Drain two artichokes, and, holding one in each hand by the stem and bottom, gently hit the leafy parts against each other until the leaves of one artichoke open up a little. Place the opened artichoke, bottom up, in a board or a working surface. Continue with remaining artichokes.

In a small bowl, combine the salt and pepper. Take one artichoke at a time and sprinkle all over, including between the leaves, with the salt and pepper mixture.

Heat the oil in a deep earthenware or similar saucepan. Cook as many artichokes at a time as fit in one layer over moderate heat for 20-25 minutes, or until the bottoms and sides are well browned. During this cooking period, sprinkle some cold water over the artichokes to produce steam, so that the inside will be cooked too.

When all the artichokes are done, transfer them to a plate, bottom side down, to keep the moisture in. (Up to this point you may prepare the artichokes several hours ahead of time and keep them, bottom side down, so they don’t lose their moisture. Should they become too dry, sprinkle some cold water on them when reheating and press the leaves down against the bottom of the pan.)

Pick them up at the bottom with a fork and dip them, one by one, in the hot oil again, pressing the leaves to the bottom of the pan. The artichokes will open up like roses and the leaves will become golden and crisp.

Serves 6.

Recipe from Classic Italian Jewish Cooking by Edda Servi Machlin (Ecco 2005).