Carciofi alla Giudia

Name: Carciofi alla Giudia
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Laziale
Ingredients: 4 whole romanesco artichokes; 1000 ml Extra virgin olive oil; 1 whole Lemon; 1500 ml Water; 1 tsp Fine sea salt; 0.5 tsp Black pepper

Crispy whole fried Roman artichokes that blossom into golden petals, an iconic classic of Roman-Jewish cooking.

🇮🇹Italy· Lazio

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 45 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 280 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 6 gathered

Servings

4 whole romanesco artichokes — young, round purple-green globe artichokes without thorns
1000 ml Extra virgin olive oil — for deep-frying
1 whole Lemon — halved, for acidulated water
1500 ml Water — cold, for soaking
1 tsp Fine sea salt — to season
½ tsp Black pepper — freshly ground

Equipment

•Deep heavy-bottomed pot
•Paring knife
•Deep-fry thermometer
•Slotted spoon or spider strainer
•Kitchen paper

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 280 kcal
fat: 24 g
carbs: 14 g
fibre: 7 g
protein: 4 g
calories: 280 kcal

Instructions

1
Fill a large bowl with cold water and squeeze in the lemon juice.
2
Strip away tough dark outer leaves from each artichoke until tender pale green leaves appear.
3
Trim the fibrous outer skin from the stem, leaving roughly four centimetres intact.
4
Pare the top third of the leaves with a sharp knife in a spiral motion.
5
Submerge trimmed artichokes in lemon water to prevent discolouration.
6
Heat the olive oil in a deep heavy-bottomed pot to 140 degrees C.
7
Drain and dry the artichokes thoroughly with clean cloth or kitchen paper.
8
Submerge artichokes stem-up in the oil and fry for twelve minutes until tender.
9
Transfer to kitchen paper and allow to cool slightly for five minutes.
10
Press the leaves gently open with two forks to mimic a blooming flower shape.
11
Increase oil temperature to 180 degrees C.
12
Fry artichokes inverted for three minutes until the leaves become deeply golden and crisp.
13
Drain onto kitchen paper, season immediately with sea salt and black pepper, and serve hot.

Chef's tips

True romanesco artichokes have little to no internal hairy choke, making them ideal for frying whole. Ensure the artichokes are completely dry before frying to prevent vigorous oil splattering.

Ingredient substitutions

romanesco artichokes → standard globe artichokes, with the inner fuzzy choke carefully scraped out
extra virgin olive oil → light olive oil or high-smoke-point sunflower oil

Storage

Best consumed immediately, as the delicate fried leaves soften rapidly upon cooling.

Reheating

Reheat in an oven preheated to 200 degrees C for five minutes to restore crunch.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Skipping the thorough drying step, which causes violent oil splattering.
•Frying at too high a temperature on the first pass, burning the outside before the core cooks through.
•Failing to spread open the petals before the second fry, resulting in soggy inner leaves.

Serving suggestions

Serve immediately while piping hot and crisp.Accompany with fresh lemon wedges on the side if preferred.Pair with a chilled dry white wine such as Frascati Superiore.