We are in the midst of spring artichoke season. I bought a bunch of different types from Natoora: the suffocating Italian “mammole” type, the tiny purple type, the large type with deep spikes on the edge of each leaf. I prepared them all Roman style. Ideally, you'll want a small machete – some Italian chefs will take a paring knife and ask a knife sharpener to sharpen it into almost a mini machete like the one below.
I just attended the Ladispoli Artichoke Festival and ate fried artichokes for four days. Delicious. Artichauts à la Barigoule is a French Provence recipe in which I use many different artichokes. If you only have the furry stuff, be sure to dig it out and remove it. When ready, it should look like a rose.
hint: The more white wine or dry sherry you use, the tastier it will be. There's a photo at the top of this post that I didn't make very well, but it gives you an idea.
Artichauts of Bagule
Provence artichoke stew
Serve 5
raw material
- 1 Lemon for rubbing artichokes and acidifying water
- 15 mammole artichokes (3 per person for main course), preparation: Leave stems on but peel, remove any hairy artichokes
- olive oil for frying
- 1 big Brown onions, chopped
- 5 clove garlic
- 3 Carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 stamp celery, thinly sliced
- 2 bay leaf
- 1.5 Lift vegetable stock
- 2 Glasses white wine or dry sherry
- bundle coriander
- 100 gram butter
instruct
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To prepare the artichokes, peel off the stems, remove the outer leaves, and shave off the leaves. Rub the exposed area with lemon and soak the leaked area in lemon (acidified) water
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In a deep pot over low to medium heat, soften the onion, then add the carrots, celery, garlic, and bay leaves.
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Add the artichokes stem side up and fry lightly. Add the white wine/sherry and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, then add the vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper.
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Once the artichokes are tender (a fork goes through the heart easily), remove them from the pan and cook the sauce, adding more white wine if you like, and add the butter and parsley. Season generously with salt and pepper.
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Serve hot with more parsley and crusty bread.
