artichokes | Phillipa Fioretti

Artichokes or frozen peas?

April 3rd, 2009

My children choose artichokes every time. Unfortunately for them artichokes in Australia are very seasonal and very expensive. Their favourite dish is ravioli stuffed with artichoke, but it’s the sort of epic dish that I start making and halfway through think, ‘What have I done?’

I trim and braise the artichokes in garlic, olive oil and a bit of stock, and when tender I scoop them out and chop up the tender hearts and small leaves. Then comes the tedious job of scraping the flesh off the leaves with a sharp knife. An hour or so later I have my bowl of artichoke pulp.

By this stage I’ve had enough, all I want to do is hurl them in the compost, return the eggs to the chook shed and go lie down in a darkened room. But I have to keep going.

I mix a bit of Parmesan into the pulp and put aside, and then start making the pasta with eggs and flour. I knead and scrape and feed the dough through the pasta machine, again and again and again. Several hours later I have two trays of artichoke-stuffed, handmade ravioli, a throbbing headache and a strong aversion to all things artichoke.

I serve them with a little more artichoke, olive oil and Parmesan, and a heaped glass of Semillon. Soon the artichokes are nothing but a memory. But I’ve forgiven them by now for being such an arduous vegetable to prepare, because who ever cooked a plate of frozen peas to celebrate a birthday or mark a holiday?

Hostaria Giggetto al Portico d

Rome in the spring is awash with artichokes. Wooden boxes of them are scattered around the Campo de’ Fiori, and they are featured on most restaurants – particularly in the old Jewish quarter near the Portico d’ Ottavia.

One of the best ways to eat an artichoke is prepared as Carciofi alla Giudea. The artichoke is opened slightly and fried in olive oil until tender and the edges of the leaves are a crisp brown, and served simply with pepper and salt. If ever you are in Rome in the spring this is a dish worth risking your life for. And you will risk it – every time you cross the road.