I seriously didn’t think there was an artichoke recipe in Italy that I didn’t know. But last week, while Sophie and I were in Lecce with our group, we participated in a cooking lesson where we learned this amazing recipe which was totally new to us.
The name of the recipe is ‘Carciofi pari’ or ‘Carciofi tutti pari’ which roughly translates as ‘Artichokes all the same.’ We learned that this is a method of cooking almost any mixture of vegetables where everything gets cooked in one pot at the same time. You just layer it all in and cover to cook. No sauteing of onions first. And no stirring. Also no salt and pepper, just grated cheese to season it all. (I love that the cheese is a seasoning!)
I loved the way the dish tasted so much like fresh artichokes. Very straightforward and rustic and delicious. The mint brought brightness and the grated cheese added a bit of richness.
You can apply this method to other seasonal vegetables and I’ve found some recipes that add potatoes along with the artichokes which sounds pretty fantastic to me.
Traditionally this dish is cooked in a terra cotta pot, which allows the vegetables to cook slowly and evenly without burning.
Carciofi Pari - Stewed Artichokes
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 large globe artichokes, trimmed
- 2 white onion, sliced
- 1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
- hand full of fresh mint
- 3 tablespoons capers
- 1/2 cup water
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Once the artichokes are trimmed of the tough outer leaves slice them into 1/4 inch slices lengthwise.
- Pour the olive oil into a large terra cotta pan. Add the onions, then the artichokes. Add the parmigiano, mint and capers.
- Turn the heat on to medium low and cover the pan. Let cook without stirring. You may have to add a bit more water. When the artichokes are tender (this should take about 40-50 minutes or so) the dish is done. Give it a stir and taste to adjust for seasoning.
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This looks wonderful! Are artichokes sliced vertically (i.e. from stem to tip)??
yes
Do you cut out the hairy choke before you stew the carciofi?
Sorry, I had meant to link to instructions for cleaning an artichoke. I added the link in the recipe.
Fresh artichokes here in U.S. don’t have the stems left on, so I’ll try the recipe without. Your thoughts?
Perfectly fine! The stems are added just because they are edible and it would be a shame to through them away.
Sounds delicious. I was just in Lecce and wish I had known to look out for this dish. Won’t prevent me from trying it at home however!