1. Cut the trimmed artichokes into ½-inch wedges, and trim, but do not split their stems. As you work, rub the cut artichokes with the lemon to keep them from turning black.
2. If using fresh fava beans, shell them and discard the pods.
3. If using fresh peas, shell them, and prepare some of the pods for cooking by stripping away their inner membrane. It’s not necessary to use all or even most of the pods, but the more you do, the sweeter the frittedda will taste.
4. Wash the wild fennel, finocchio tops, or dill in cold water, then chop into large pieces.
5. Choose a heavy-bottomed or enameled cast-iron pot just large enough to accommodate all the ingredients, put in the sliced onion and olive oil, turn on the heat to medium low, and cook until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
6. Put in the wild fennel, finocchio tops, or dill, the artichoke wedges and stems, stir thoroughly to coat well, and cover the pot tightly. After 5 minutes, check the artichokes. If they are at their prime, they should look moist and glossy, and the oil and the vapors from the onion and fennel should be sufficient to continue their cooking. But if they appear to be rather dry, add 3 tablespoons of water. If you are in doubt, add it anyway, it won’t do too much damage. When not checking the pot, keep it covered tightly.
7. If using fresh fava beans and peas: Add them when the artichokes are about half done, approximately 15 minutes if very young and fresh. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons water if you doubt that there is sufficient moisture in the pot to cook them. Turn all ingredients over to coat them well.
If using fresh fava beans and frozen peas: Put the beans in first, cook for 10 minutes if very small, 15 to 20 if larger, then add the thawed peas and cook for 5 minutes longer, until both the artichokes and fava are tender.
If using fresh peas and canned fava beans: When the artichokes are half done, put in the peas and their trimmed pods. Cook until both peas and artichokes are tender, adding 2 or 3 tablespoons water when needed, then put in the drained canned “green fave” and cook 5 minutes longer.
If using frozen peas and canned fava beans: Put in both the thawed peas and the drained beans at the same time, when the artichokes have just begun to feel tender when prodded with a fork. Cook for 5 minutes longer.
8. Taste and correct for salt before serving. Let the frittedda settle for a few minutes, allowing its flavors to emerge from the heat, before bringing it to the table, but do not serve it cold. If possible, plan to serve it when done, without reheating.
Crisp-Fried Artichoke Wedges
HERE IS one instance where one needn’t be too unbending about using frozen vegetables. Frozen artichoke hearts fry very well, and the contrast between their soft interior and the crisp egg and bread crumb crust is quite appealing. Not that one should pass up fresh artichokes, if they happen to be very young and tender.
For 4 to 6 servings
3 medium artichokes OR 1 ten-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
If using fresh artichokes: ½ lemon and 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 egg
1 cup fine, dry, unflavored bread crumbs, spread on a plate
Vegetable oil
Salt
1. If using fresh artichokes: Cut the trimmed artichokes into 1-inch wedges, and trim and split their stems. As you work, rub the cut artichokes with the lemon to keep them from turning black.
Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Put in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice together with the artichokes, and cook for 5 minutes or more after the water returns to a boil, until the artichokes are tender, but still firm enough to offer some resistance when prodded at their thickest point with a fork. Drain, let cool, and pat dry.
If using frozen artichokes: When thawed, if whole, cut in half, and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels.
2. Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl or deep saucer.
3. Dip the artichokes into the egg, letting the excess flow back into the bowl, then roll them in the bread crumbs to coat them all over.
4. Put enough oil in a skillet to come ¾ inch up the sides, and turn the heat on to medium high. When the oil is hot enough to form a slight haze, slip the breaded artichokes into the skillet, cooking them long enough to form a crust on one side, then turning them and doing the other side. If they don’t all fit at one time into the pan loosely, without crowding, fry them in two or more batches. As each batch is done, transfer it with a slotted spoon or spatula to a cooling rack to drain or to a plate lined with paper towels. When they are all done, sprinkle with salt and serve at once.
Ahead-of-time note The recipe can be completed up to this point several hours in advance, but if refrigerating the crumbed vegetables, take them out in sufficient time to come fully to room temperature.
Gratin of Artichokes
For 4 servings
4 large OR 6 medium artichokes
½ lemon
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
An oven-to-table baking dish
Butter for smearing the dish and dotting
Salt
½ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1. Cut the trimmed artichokes into 1-inch wedges, and trim and split their stems. As you work, rub the cut artichokes with the lemon to keep them from turning black.
2. Preheat oven to 375°.
3. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Put in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice together with the artichokes, and cook for 5 minutes or more after the water returns to a boil, until the artichokes are tender, but still firm enough to offer some resistance when prodded at their thickest point with a fork. Drain and let cool.
4. Cut the artichoke wedges into very thin lengthwise slices.
5. Smear the bottom of the baking dish with butter, and cover it with a layer of artichoke slices and stems. Sprinkle with salt and grated Parmesan, and dot with butter. Repeat the procedure, building up layers of artichokes until all are used. Sprinkle the top layer generously with grated cheese and dot with butter.
6. Bake in the upper third of the preheated oven for 15 or 20 minutes, until a light crust forms on top. Allow to settle for a few minutes before serving.
Gratin of Artichokes, Potatoes, and Onions
IN THIS GRATIN, the artichokes are fully cooked before going into the oven with raw sliced potatoes and sautéed onions. While the potatoes cook, the thin artichoke slices become very soft, surrendering some of their texture in order to spread their flavor more liberally.
For 6 servings
2 large globe artichokes OR 4 medium size
1 lemon, cut in half
2 tablespoons butter plus more for dotting the baking dish
1 cup onion sliced thin
Salt
3 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced potato-chip thin
An oven-to-table baking dish
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
½ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1. Cut the trimmed artichokes into 1-inch wedges and pare and split the stems. Use half the lemon to moisten the cut parts with juice as you work. Put the artichoke wedges and stems into a bowl with enough cold water to cover and squeeze the juice of the other lemon half into the bowl. Stir and let stand until needed later.
2. Choose a saute pan large enough to accommodate all the ingredients, put in the 2 tablespoons of butter and the onion, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook the onion at a slow pace, stirring occasionally, until it is very soft and becomes colored a deep gold. Take off heat.
3. Drain the artichoke wedges and stems, and rinse them in cold water to wash away traces of their acidulated soak. Cut the wedges into the thinnest possible slices. Put the slices and the stems into the pan with the onion, sprinkle with salt, add ½ cup water, turn on the heat to medium, and cover the pot with the lid on slightly ajar. Cook at a slow, intermittent simmer, turning the artichokes from time to time, until they feel tender when prodded with a fork, about 15 minutes or more, depending on their youth and freshness.
4. While the artichokes are cooking, preheat oven to 400°.
5. When the artichokes are done, put the sliced potatoes in the pan, turn them over 2 or 3 times to coat them well, then remove from heat.
6. Pour the contents of the pan into a baking dish, preferably choosing one in which the ingredients, when they are all in, will not come more than 1½ inches up the sides. Add several grindings of pepper and a little more salt, and use the back of a spoon or a spatula to spread the artichoke and potato mixture evenly. Dot the top with butter, and place the dish in the upper rack of the preheated oven.
7. After 15 minutes, take the dish out of the oven, turn its contents 2 or 3 times, spread them out evenly again, and return to the oven. When the potatoes become tender, in another 15 minutes or so, take the pan out, sprinkle the top with grated Parmesan, and keep it in the oven until the cheese melts and forms a light crust. Allow the heat to subside for a few minutes before serving.
Artichoke Torta in a Flaky Crust
THE PASTRY SHELL for this vegetable pie is unusual because instead of the eggs that customarily go into making Italian flaky pastry it uses ricotta. It is very light, and the word that best describes its texture is, indeed, flaky.
The flavorful filling consists mainly of artichokes, which are sliced very thin and braised on a bed of carrot and onion. It is rounded out with eggs, ricotta, and Parmesan.
For 6 servings
FOR THE FILLING
4 medium artichokes
1 lemon, cut in half
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped onion
3 tablespoons chopped carrot
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
¾ cup fresh ricotta
½ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 eggs
1. Trim the artichokes of all their tough parts. As you work, rub the cut artichoke with a lemon half, squeezing drops of juice over it to keep it from turning black. Cut the trimmed artichokes in half to expose and discard the choke and prickly inner leaves, then cut them lengthwise into the thinnest possible slices. Put in a bowl with enough water to cover and the juice of the other lemon half.
2. Pare the artichoke stems of their hard outer skin, and cut them lengthwise into very thin slices. Add them to the bowl with the sliced artichokes.
3. Put the oil, onion, and carrot in a saute pan, and turn the heat on to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it becomes colored a pale gold. Then add the parsley, stirring it rapidly 2 or 3 times.
4. Drain the artichokes, rinse them well under cold water to wash away the lemon, pat them dry in a towel, then add them to the pan. Turn them over 2 or 3 times to coat them well, add salt and pepper, turn them over again another 2 or 3 times, then add ½ cup water, and put a lid on the pan. Cook until tender, from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the youth and freshness of the artichokes. If in the meantime the liquid in the pan becomes insufficient, add 2 or 3 tablespoons water as needed. When the artichokes are done, however, there should be no water in the pan. If there is, remove the lid, raise the heat to high, and quickly boil it away. Pour the entire contents of the pan into a bowl and allow to cool completely.
5. When cool, mix in the ricotta and grated Parmesan.
6. Beat the eggs lightly in a deep dish, then swirl them into the bowl. Taste and correct the filling for salt and pepper.
MAKING THE PASTRY CRUST AND COMPLETING THE TORTA
1½ cups flour
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature
¾ cup fresh ricotta
½ teaspoon salt
Wax paper OR kitchen parchment
An 8-inch springform pan
Butter and flour for the pan
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Mix the flour, butter, ricotta, and salt in a bowl, using your fingers or a fork.
3. Turn the mixture out onto a work surface and knead for 5 to 6 minutes until the dough is smooth. Divide the dough into 2 unequal parts, one twice as large as the other.
4. Roll out the larger piece of dough into a circular sheet no thicker than ⅓ inch. To simplify transferring this to the pan, roll out the dough on lightly floured wax paper or kitchen parchment.
5. Smear the inside of the springform pan with butter, then dust it with flour and turn it over giving it a sharp rap against the counter to shake off loose flour.
6. Pick up the wax paper or kitchen parchment with the sheet of dough on it, and turn it over onto the pan, covering the bottom and letting it come up the sides. Peel away the wax paper or parchment, and smooth the dough, flattening and evening off any particularly bulky creases with your fingers.
7. Pour the artichoke filling into the pan and level it off with a spatula.
8. Roll out the remaining piece of dough, employing the same method you used earlier. Lay it over the filling, covering it completely. Press the edge of the top sheet of pastry dough against the edge of that lining the pan. Make a tight seal all around, folding any excess dough toward the center.
9. Place on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven and bake until the top is lightly browned, about 45 minutes. When you take it out of the oven, unlatch the pan’s spring, and remove the hoop. Allow the torta to settle a few minutes before loosening it from the bottom and transferring to a serving platter. Serve either lukewarm or at room temperature.
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES OR SUNCHOKES
Obscurity is often the fate of products that start out in life under a confusing name. This fine, but unjustly neglected, vegetable is not from Jerusalem, it is a native of North America; it is not an artichoke, it is the edible root of a variety of sunflower. Sunflower, in Italian, is girasole, which to non-Italian ears evidently sounded like Jerusalem. Even more strangely, its Italian name is not remotely related to girasole or sunflower. It is topinambur, the name of a Brazilian troupe that toured the country at apparently the same time the root was introduced. It may finally become better known to English speakers as “sunchoke,” the name its producers have decided to coin for it, and which will be the one used henceforth here.
How to use When sliced very thin, raw sunchokes are crisp and juicy at the same time, with a nutty flavor that is most welcome in a salad. When sautéed or gratinéed, their texture is a blend of cream and silk, and their taste vaguely recalls that of artichoke hearts, but is sweeter, with none of the artichoke’s underlying bitterness. The thin skin can be left on when they are to be eaten raw, but must be removed for cooking because it hardens.
How to buy Sunchokes are in season from fall through early spring. They are at their best when very firm; as they lose freshness, they become spongy.
Sautéed Sunchokes
For 6 servings
1½ pounds sunchokes Salt
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic chopped very fine
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1 tablespoon parsley chopped very fine
1. Skin the sunchokes, using a small paring knife or a swiveling-blade peeler. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil, add salt, then drop in the peeled sunchokes, the larger pieces first, holding back the smaller ones a few moments. When the water returns to a boil, take the sunchokes out. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, cut them into slices ¼ inch thick or less. They should still be quite firm.
2. Put the olive oil and garlic in a skillet, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook, stirring the garlic, until it becomes colored a very pale gold, then add the sliced sunchokes, turning them thoroughly to coat them well. Add salt, pepper, and chopped parsley, and turn them over completely once again. Cook until the sunchokes feel very tender when prodded with a fork, turning them from time to time while they are cooking. Taste and correct for salt and serve at once.
Sunchoke Gratin
For 4 servings
1 pound sunchokes
Salt
An ov
en-to-table baking dish
Butter for smearing and dotting the baking dish
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
¼ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Peel the sunchokes and drop them in salted, boiling water. Cook them until they feel tender, but not mushy when prodded with a fork. Ten minutes after the water returns to a boil, check them frequently because they tend to go from very firm to very soft in a brief span of time. Drain when done, and as soon as they are cool enough to handle, cut them into ½-inch thick slices.
3. Smear the bottom of a baking dish with butter, then place the sunchoke slices in it, arranging them so they overlap slightly, roof tile fashion. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the grated Parmesan, dot with butter, and place the dish on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven. Bake until a light golden crust begins to form on top. Allow to settle for a few minutes out of the oven before serving.
Smothered Sunchokes with Tomato and Onion
For 6 servings
1½ pounds sunchokes
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup onion sliced very fine
½ teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
⅔ cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, chopped, with their juice
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Skin the sunchokes with a paring knife or a swiveling-blade peeler, wash them in cold water, and cut them into pieces about 1 inch thick.
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking Page 51