''Carciofi alla romana'' (; ) is a typical dish of
Roman cuisine of pan braised artichokes. During spring-time in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, the dish is prepared in each household and is served in all restaurants. It represents one of the most famous artichoke dishes of the Roman cuisine, another being ''
carciofi alla giudia'', a deep-fried artichoke dish that originated in the Jewish community of Rome.
Preparation
In Rome and surroundings this dish is prepared with artichokes of the Romanesco variety, harvested between February and April in the coastal region northwest of Rome, between
Ladispoli and
Civitavecchia
Civitavecchia (, meaning "ancient town") is a city and major Port, sea port on the Tyrrhenian Sea west-northwest of Rome. Its legal status is a ''comune'' (municipality) of Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Rome, Lazio.
The harbour is formed by ...
.
The artichokes are cleaned with a sharp knife, eliminating all of the hard leaves and the thorns using an upward spiral movement. Leaving only a few centimetres of the stem with the artichoke, the cut-off stem is cleaned, cut into pieces and cooked with the artichokes. The artichokes are plunged for a few minutes into water with lemon juice, so that they do not turn brown due to oxidation.
[Boni (1985), p. 115] Then they are opened in the center and the choke (present only toward the end of the growing season) is removed.
[ Into the resulting cavity of each artichoke is stuffed a mixture of ]parsley
Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum''), is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to Greece, Morocco and the former Yugoslavia. It has been introduced and naturalisation (biology), naturalized in Eur ...
, lesser calamint (in Rome called ''mentuccia''), and garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...
, with salt and pepper to taste.[ After this preparation, all of the artichokes are put into a deep pan, standing on their stems, enough in number so that they support each other and do not fall over.][ Water and olive oil (a variant uses also white wine) are added. Oil and salt and pepper to taste are sprinkled on them.][ Then the pan is covered and they are braised until the liquid has evaporated.][ One may eat them warm or at room temperature.][Cordia (2013), p. 276]
See also
* Roman cuisine
* '' Carciofi alla giudia''
References
Sources
*
*
{{Cuisine of Italy
Cuisine of Lazio