Roman-Style Artichokes
An authentic recipe for carcifoli alla Romana – Roman artichokes stuffed with garlic and mint.
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 8 Romanesco or globe artichokes
- 1 small bunch wild mint or calamint
- 3 garlic cloves
- 360 ml water or dry white wine
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Fill a bowl with water, squeeze in the juice from the lemon, add the lemon rind and stir.
- Trim the artichokes by cutting off the top quarter of the head and removing the tough outer leaves. Trim the stems, leaving about 2-2¾ (5–7 cm) attached. Trim the outer layer of the stems and remove the centre, using a spoon to scoop out the hairy choke. Once cleaned, immediately place the artichokes in the lemon water to stop them turning brown.
- Finely chop the mint and garlic, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drain the artichokes well and fill the centre of each artichoke with the mint mixture.
- Stand the artichokes, stem side up, in a heavy-based saucepan wide enough to hold them all in one layer. Pour in the water or wine and drizzle with the olive oil.
- Cover and cook over medium-low heat for about 1 hour, or until tender. Test if the artichokes are ready by pushing a toothpick into the base of the stem.
- Serve warm, or at room temperature.