Carciofi alla Romana (Roman Stuffed Artichokes) - Seasonal Eating

Artichokes from Oerlikon Markt

Cooking with in-season vegetables is a pretty easy and cheap way to practice sustainable eating. It minimises the emissions generated from transporting these vegetables from far away farms. Plus, you keep your local farmers happy and it’s a good opportunity to put on your experimental masterchef hat.

Unlike in Australia where we could generally get vegetables at any time of the year for pretty cheap, eating seasonally is anyway something that Europeans have already been doing for a very long time. I guess when the climate is harsher you’re left with no choice but to be resourceful!

I recently came across this nice website for a cooking school in Zurich (Laughing Lemon), with a very comprehensive list of European vegetables by season. So I decided to experiment with artichokes, a pretty foreign vegetable for me! Before coming to live in Europe, I’ve only ever eaten marinated artichokes that come in a jar, already prepared and infused in olive oils. Yep, I was a sucker for those gourmet marinated artichoke hearts that came in pretty little jars at the local Italian deli with an exotic-sounding Italian region on the label.

The first time I’ve ever seen fresh artichokes was in Rome during a work trip last year. It was the middle of autumn, one of the two times a year when artichokes are harvested. Every restaurant I went to always had trays lined with prettily arranged artichokes at their serving counters. I absolutely love the mix of flavours in artichokes: savoury, acidic, and sweet at the same time.

Eating out in Rome

A quick stop at the Vatican

Roman cuisine has always been about being resourceful, cooking with whatever cheap local ingredients are available. From olives, pecorino cheese, pasta, beautiful fresh seafood, and all cuts of meats down to offal. Artichokes are quite a star in Roman dishes which also feature Jewish influences. The creative Roman-Jewish mums have found so many delicious and creative ways to cook artichokes, from steamed, stuffed, marinated to deep-fried.

So here is my first experimental in-season vegetable recipe for Carciofi alla Romana. I bought the artichokes and all other ingredients at the farmers market at Oerlikon which is held twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Carciofi alla Romana (Roman stuffed artichokes)

Serves 4 people

4 fresh artichokes

1 bowl of water mixed with the juice of half a lemon

Stuffing:

80 g mix of Pecorino and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses or other sharp tasting cheese

Breadcrumbs from 2 slices of brown bread

1 teaspoon chili flakes

1 handful of parsley

1 tablespoon oregano

1 garlic clove

2-3 pieces of anchovies

Salt and pepper to taste

To steam:

1 cup of water

½ cup of white wine

2 tablespoons olive oil

Method:

Prepare the artichokes. Slice the stem of the artichokes leaving about 3cm of the stem at the bottom of the flower. Peel about 3 layers of the leaves. Trim the top of the flower, about 3cm from the top. Cut the trimmed artichokes in half and scoop out the middle part using a spoon (near the base of the flower). Place all trimmed and cleaned artichokes in the water and lemon mixture to prevent from browning. Leave them in the acidic water until you are ready to prep them.

Prepare the stuffing. In a food processor blitz all the stuffing ingredients until you get a fine mix.

Working with one artichoke half at a time, gently put the stuffing into the middle of the artichoke (where the artichoke heart was) and in between the leaves.

Find a small/medium saucepan which can fit all artichoke halves upright snuggly, without spilling over. Pour in the water, white wine and olive oil into the saucepan. Bring to boil.

Once boiled, turn the heat down to simmer. Place the stuffed artichokes in one layer. Continue to simmer covered for 45 – 60 minutes or until the artichokes have softened. Serve immediately.