Carciofi Alla Judea Artichokes Jewish Style 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.

ROMAN-JEWISH FRIED ARTICHOKES (CARCIOFI ALLA GIUDIA) RECIPE

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with water; halve and squeeze 2 lemons into it. Trim artichokes following Roman-Jewish artichoke guidelines shown here : Remove tough dark green outer leaves to expose more tender light-green leaves within, then, using a paring knife, cut off top half of each leaf and trim base and stem. Trimmed artichokes will look like a closed rosebud. Transfer the peeled artichokes to the bowl of lemon water as you work, covering them with a clean kitchen towel to keep them completely submerged.
• In a large saucepan, heat 2 to 3 inches of oil to 280°F (130°C). Add artichokes (they should produce a steady but non-violent stream of bubbles) and cook until tender (you should be able to pierce their hearts easily with a fork), adjusting heat to maintain a steady bubble, about 10 minutes for baby artichokes and 15 minutes for larger ones. Turn larger artichokes frequently for even cooking.
• Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer artichokes to a paper towel-lined plate. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Using your hands, gently pull open each artichoke "bud" so that it resembles an open flower. If using large artichokes, remove and discard the hair "choke" in the center of the artichoke. Increase oil temperature to 350°F (177°C).
• Fry artichokes until browned and crisp, 2 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Season immediately with salt. Transfer to plates and serve right away with wedges of remaining lemon.

CARCIOFI ALLA JUDEA (ARTICHOKES JEWISH-STYLE)

Steps:

• Trim the stalks and tough outer leaves from the artichokes. Cut off the top third of the leaves. Press the remaining leaves back carefully, spreading them out like the petals of a flower, taking care not to break them. Place the artichokes in a large bowl of cold water with the juice of the lemon to prevent them from turning brown.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pot. When you add the artichokes, one or two at a time, wear gloves and hold the lid of the pan tilted over the oil. The oil will spatter at first because of any water clinging to the leaves of the artichokes. Be very careful because the oil can catch fire if it spatters too much.
• Once the pot has calmed down, leave the lid off and allow the artichokes to cook until golden and tender. Keep a steady watch in case of any spattering. When the artichokes are cooked, drain them upside down on paper towels and serve at once - with the lemon cut into quarters.