Easy Roman Braised Artichoke Hearts (Carciofi alla Romana) Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to make artichokes a la romana? ›

Arrange artichokes in pot and season with salt and pepper. Bring pot to a simmer over medium-high heat, then lower heat to a bare simmer, cover, and cook until artichokes are fork-tender, 20 to 30 minutes. (Smaller artichokes may not take as long.) Remove from heat and transfer artichokes to a platter, stem sides up.

Rome's artichokes are world-famous and very popular in the Roman cuisine. Unlike other artichokes, they are round and soft, and more importantly they have no spines.

After trimming the exterior, the internal cavity of the artichoke is stuffed with a mixture of finely chopped garlic and herbs (parsley and Roman wild mint). They are then packed stalk-up in a pan, covered with olive oil and water or white wine, and braised until they become soft and melt in the mouth.

Carciofi alla Romana involves trimming the stems, and outer leavers, and gently scooping out any furry choke. The artichoke is then stuffed with a mixture of garlic, parsley, and mint, and is braised in a pan whole with stalks pointing up, in an olive oil and white wine mixture.

Rub all cut surfaces with a lemon half to keep them from turning dark. Some cooks like to soak the trimmed artichoke in lemony water for an hour or so before cooking to improve taste and tenderness.

Carciofi alla Romana

They are then slowly braised, face down, in a little water for about an hour until they are soft all the way through and have taken on the flavor of the herbs. Whereas carciofi alla giudia are served as an appetizer, carciofi alla romana tend to come as a contorno, a vegetable side dish.

Artichoke heads are still harvested by hand and, since this depends on their ripening, this may span several weeks. This leads to particularly high production costs, making artichokes among the most expensive vegetables on the market (at equivalent edible quantities).

When you open a can of artichokes, be sure to rinse them thoroughly so that all you're left with is the sweet, slightly tangy flavor and creamy texture of the vegetable.

Make an antipasto platter: Artichokes, salumi, cheese, olives. In other words, take the artichokes out of the jar and put them on a plate with all of that other stuff. Scratch that: Just eat them straight out of the jar.

The custom of consuming artichokes originated precisely in the Jewish ghetto of Rome between 1555 and 1870, traditionally prepared for Pesach, the Jewish Passover, a theory justified by the seasonality of the vegetable, which sees its peak growth period in spring.

How do you eat carciofi? ›

To enjoy, start pulling off the outer leaves first and work your way in. The leaves can actually be enjoyed whole, and they'll taste like crunchy chips with soft meat at the bottom. Once the leaves are finished, the tender hearts are left for you to savor, cherish, and enjoy!

An easy and delicious side dish! Artichokes are high in antioxidants and have a positive effect on bile and strengthen the liver and gallbladder function.

It's believed that to keep artichokes from darkening, they must be stored in lemon water as soon as they are cut and then also cooked in lemon water.

The jarred stuff is almost always marinated and, thus, flavorful; canned artichokes are flavorless and soggy. So go for glass. And then do this with them: Use them as a pizza topping.

What is the proper way to cook an artichoke? You can boil, bake and grill artichokes, however we consider steaming to be the easiest and tastiest method of cooking them as it results in a good level of moisture. Boiling will also ensure a soft texture however, if you prefer this method.