ARTICHOKES ROMAN-STYLE

I have to admit I haven't had much luck finding great artichokes lately. By"great" I mean chokes that are tightly packed (not airy) and feel firm to the touch when squeezed gently, especially around the heart near the stem end. Unfortunately yes, you do need to feel them to be able to tell. Appearances can be deceptive, with artichokes as with people! So lo and behold when I strolled by the display at a local grocer and saw these beauties. I hoped it had come time to enjoy one of my favorite vegetables, finally!

That brings to mind another story that took place years ago, in Verona, Italy on a business trip. While visiting the open market in Piazza delle Erbe, I spotted Tina, The Artichoke Lady of Verona, as she's known, trimming and cleaning artichokes, just as the women in her family had done going back three generations. I turned to my boss at the time and commented, "I know her! I recognize her from the photo in the book The Sensuous Artichoke, sitting on my desk back at the office!" Tina provided an invaluable service, one that undoubtedly prompts more people to buy artichokes, and is commonly seen throughout Italy. By trimming them almost down to their hearts, ready to cook, she eliminated all the messy prep that might otherwise discourage folks at home to prepare them. No such luck here, unless you buy frozen, which are great for certain things, but not this recipe. For Carciofi alla Romana, or any stuffed artichoke recipe for that matter, it's in your hands... but I'm here to offer guidance. Or you can simply steam them whole to serve with a dipping sauce, which is also delicious, but not this recipe. Let's take it one step further...

Prepare the seasoning, consisting mostly of chopped parsley and garlic.

Trim off the stems where they meet the bottom of the artichokes. Trim the stems around the core, which is an extension of the heart; reserve the core to cook with the artichokes.

Snap off a couple layers on the outside of the artichokes to where the petals start looking yellow instead of intensely green. (In Italy they would be trimmed way back to totally yellow, but that's there, not here.) With a paring knife, trim off and discard the dark green part around the bottom.

With a very sharp knife (a serrated bread knife works well) cut off the top third of the artichoke to expose the prickly leaves and fuzzy choke (which you shouldn't eat) in the center. Scoop out and discard this part. I've found that a serrated grapefruit knife helps a lot. The size of that center section and the color of the leaves will vary from white with streaks of pink to a vivid purple color. That's also something you can't tell from looking at the outside of the artichoke. Surprise!

Serrated grapefruit knife...

Stuff the center with the seasoning.

Flip artichokes upside down in a pan, along with the reserved, trimmed stems, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and add a little water (see recipe below). They're ready to cook!

Ready to eat...

ARTICHOKES ROMAN-STYLE

Carciofi alla Romana

2 large artichokes

1 lemon, cut in half around the perimeter

¼ cup chopped parsley

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

4-5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

With a serrated knife, cut off artichoke stems to create a flat bottom. Cut top thirds off artichokes and discard. Snap off a layer or two of the outermost leaves, and if prickly trim tips with kitchen shears. Rub cut surfaces with half the lemon. Pare away the tough, dark green flesh from the base of the artichokes and trim the stems down to their core. After doing this with each artichoke, drop them into a bowl of cold water with the juice of the other half of the lemon.

In a small bowl combine the parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoon oil.  Stir to mix. Stuff this mixture into the center of the artichokes. Transfer the artichokes, top sides down, to a pot just large enough to hold them snuggly side-by-side. Drizzle the tops of the artichokes with the remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Pour 3/4 cup water into the bottom of the pan. Cover, bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer on low about 40 minutes or until a small paring knife easily pierces the heart with no resistance. Uncover and continue to simmer until the remaining liquid has reduced almost to a glaze. Let cool to room temperature. Flip and serve, drizzled with the remaining pan juices.

NOTE: To eat an artichoke, pull off the petals, one at a time, dragging them through your teeth to remove the soft, pulpy portion at the base. As you make your way closer to the inside, the petals will become more tender, with more to enjoy. The heart is totally edible.

OPTION: For stuffed artichokes, add grated Pecorino cheese and breadcrumbs to the seasoning mixture with enough oil to moisten the mixture. Gently spread the leaves of the artichokes without snapping them and distribute the filling between the leaves before transferring them to the pot. Proceed with the recipe as written above.

LUCKY LENTILS

I'm late to the table with this 2024 New Year greeting, but it's never too late to enjoy lentils! Italian tradition would have it that after midnight, on January 1st, one should consume as many lentils as possible to bring "prosperity, wealth and good luck"in the coming year. My family always attempts to honor this tradition, accompanied by midnight sausage, but in truth we often don't make it to that bewitching hour, sleepy and in a food coma following a night of feasting on everything else you can imagine! So, better late than never, here's one way, a very simple, nutritious, and delicious soup, to help you get your fill of lentils.

MEP YOUR SOFFRITTO - a coarse chop of aromatic vegetables that boost your soup with flavor. Mise-en-place is just a cheffy way of saying, everything in place, prepared, organized, and ready to cook.

LENTIL SOUP

This is a slight departure from the recipe in my book, eliminating the sausage and farro and substituting beef broth for chicken stock...improvising with what I had in my pantry.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 large carrots, small dice

1 large celery stalk, small dice

1 large onion, small dice

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup green lentils, rinsed

5-6 beef broth

2-3 cups packed, coarsely chopped greens (kale, escarole, spinach)

Salt and pepper

Heat oil in a soup pot on low. Add the garlic, carrot, celery, onion, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt. Cook on low about 15 minutes until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Add the tomato paste and stir. Add the lentils, 5 cups broth and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes, or until lentils are soft. Discard bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Add more broth, if desired, along with the chopped greens. Simmer a few minutes more until the greens are wilted. Serves 4.

MORNING INSPIRATION

This biscotti recipe (adapted from her book, Baking: From My Home to Yours) comes to you courtesy of Dorie Greenspan's xoxoDorie Newsletter. (I made a few minor changes to the directions as well). Dorie invites you to "please dunk" and I, being an enthusiastic fellow dunker, do heartily agree. This works with your morning coffee or as Dorie suggests, "in vin santo would be most traditional." However, I've been know to dunk in wine (whatever I've been drinking with dinner) to complete the meal.

The almond extract in these biscotti (in my opinion) is not overpowering, and the addition of cornmeal adds a touch more texture. I had all the ingredients on hand, so this morning I was inspired to get baking. I'm glad I did and hope you'll try this recipe as well.

LENOX ALMOND BISCOTTI

1 1/2 cups (204 grams) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup (72 grams) yellow cornmeal

8 tablespoons (4 ounces; 113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup (200 grams) sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract

3/4 cup (75 grams) slivered almonds, blanched or unblanched

Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the cornmeal and whisk again to blend.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until very smooth. Add the eggs and continue to beat, scraping down the bowl as needed, for another 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Beat in the almond extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. You’ll have a soft stick-to-your-fingers dough that will ball up around the paddle or beaters. Scrape down the paddle (or beaters) with a large rubber spatula and toss in the almonds. Mix on low just to blend.

Transfer dough to a well floured surface. Form a ball and divide in half. Using your fingers and a spatula or scraper, work the dough into two logs about 12 inches long x 1 1/2 inches diameter. (Nella's note: Since the dough is so moist, I find that flouring my hands well before rolling helps prevent sticking. Or, wrapping the dough in wax paper and gently compressing the mixture to help shape the logs also works.) Transfer the logs to opposite sides of the lined baking sheet, running lengthwise (the dough will expand as it cooks).

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the logs are lightly golden but still soft and springy to the touch. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and cool for 30 minutes (leave the oven heated).

Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board. With a long serrated knife, trim the ends and cut the logs on a slight diagonal into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Return the slices to the baking sheet, leaving space between biscotti to allow heat to circulate evenly all around.

Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until golden and firm. Cool the biscotti to room temperature. Makes about 25 biscotti.