Carciofi Alla Giudia Recipes

ROMAN-JEWISH DEEP-FRIED ARTICHOKES (CARCIOFI ALLA GIUDIA)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Starting with one artichoke, begin trimming the leaves away from the base, removing the darker tough exterior and leaving the more tender inner portion. As you work your way up the artichoke, you'll have to trim away progressively less of each ring of leaves. When you reach a little past the halfway point of the artichoke, where the leaves begin to slope in, make a horizontal cut to remove the top quarter or so of the artichoke. Next, cut into the top of the artichoke, keeping your knife almost vertical, to remove any spines there may be in the smaller leaves towards the heart of the flower.
• Next, trim away the tip of the stem, which will likely be black-you will see a ring in the middle of the cut surface. The outer layer of an artichoke stem, beyond the ring, is tough and fibrous. What is inside, however, is an extension of the heart: both tender and tasty. Carefully peel or cut away the fibrous outer layer, rub the artichoke with a cut, partially squeezed lemon to keep it from blackening, put it in a bowl of water with the juice of one lemon, and then trim the next artichoke. Continue until you have prepared all your artichokes .
• Come time to cook your artichokes, heat 3 inches (8 centimeters) of olive oil, or an oil with a high smoke point if you prefer, in a fairly deep, fairly broad pot (one large enough to contain the artichokes flat, and the oil should almost cover them).
• While it is heating, stand your artichokes on absorbent paper to drain, and prepare a bowl with fine sea salt and pepper. Season the artichokes inside and out with salt and pepper and shake off the excess.
• Slip your artichokes into the hot oil and cook them for about 10 minutes, turning them in the oil so they cook evenly. Remove them to a plate lined with absorbent paper-at this point, they're partially cooked, and you could, if you want, resume cooking them later. Assuming you want to enjoy them now, however, reheat your oil-it should be hotter now, because this is the frying stage-before they were simply being cooked in the hot oil and slip the first artichoke in, initially horizontally.
• Fry the artichoke for 3 to 4 minutes, until the stem is browned and then use a pair of long-handled implements, such as BBQ forks or a pair of metal kitchen tongs, to upend the artichoke-it should be stem-up with its top on the bottom of the pot. Press down gently; the leaves will brown thanks to the heat of the bottom of the pan, and the artichoke will open like a flower.
• While the artichoke is browning, line a second plate with absorbent paper. Put the first artichoke to drain blossom down, and continue with the next. Continue until you have finished frying your artichokes.
• Serve immediately, with lemon wedges.

CARCIOFI ALLA GIUDIA

Steps:

• Select carefully the vessel in which you will fry the artichokes, as half their bulk must be immersed in the hot oil to cook them properly. In a large pot or deep fryer, warm the oil over a medium flame to ensure it heats evenly, without cold spots. Peel the artichoke stems to reveal their tender cores, tear away the hard petals, and trim the tips of the softer petals. Immerse the artichokes in very cold water, acidulated with the lemon juice, for 1/2 hour.
• Remove the artichokes from their acidy bath, drying them carefully on absorbent paper towels.
• Hold each artichoke by its stem or its stem end and forcefully slam it down onto a wooden board or marble slab to flatten it, spreading out its petals. Tuck generous pinches of sea salt and pepper between its petals.
• When the oil is very hot-but not at the maximum temperature of your deep fryer-place as many of the artichokes as will fit in the pan, stems up, leaving ample space for each of them to float about freely. Fry the artichokes for 6 to 7 minutes, turning often with tongs. Raise the heat to its maximum level and fry the artichokes for an additional 6 minutes, or until they've blossomed into great, bronzed, green roses.
• Remove the artichokes from the oil to rest a moment on absorbent paper towels and then mist them-using a plant mister-with iced, sea-salted water, the spritz ensuring the fried thistles' delectable crunch.
• Serve them as fast as you can, but only to people who are excited to eat them.