Chef: Viviana Marrocoli

These delicious crispy artichokes are a fine example of the Roman-Jewish mastery of deep frying. 

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes 
Cooking time: 25 minutes

Method

Clean the artichokes (Remove the outer dark-green leaves from the artichokes, to expose the softer leaves with a white base; cut off the upper part of the leaves and trim to remove any remaining woody parts to create the shape of a rosebud. Then cut the top centimetre off the artichokes and scoop out the choke with a melon-baller or similar. Now pare back the stems and sprinkle with lemon juice to retain their colour, gently bash them to soften and then carefully open up the leaves and immerse them in water with lemon juice and ice to avoid oxidation). Heat the oil in a saucepan with high sides to 130°C. Dry the artichokes well and place in hot, but not boiling, oil and cook for 20 minutes, until the base of the artichoke is tender. Drain the artichokes upside down on kitchen paper. When ready to serve, heat the oil again to 175°C, spread the leaves well, being careful not to break them, and fry the artichokes for 3 minutes until crispy and browned with the leaves open. Drain them on kitchen paper and serve with a pinch of salt. 

P.S. With the scraps and leaves from the artichoke you can make a stock, or a decoction by drying the leaves, to obtain a natural digestive.