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Carciofi alla Giudia (Jewish-Style Artichokes) Recipe

Carciofi alla Giudia (Jewish-Style Artichokes)
Difficulty: Medium | Total Time: 45 mins | Makes: 4 to 6 servings

A staple in Rome’s Jewish quarter, these artichokes are quickly fried, turning the leaves crisp and nutty and the hearts tender and earthy—a perfect starter with a glass of crisp Italian wine.

Special equipment: You will need a candy/fat thermometer for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 lemon, sliced in half
  • 4 artichokes (regular or baby)
  • Salt
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups (1 quart) vegetable or canola oil
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Squeeze the juice from 1 of the lemon halves into a large, nonreactive bowl and fill the bowl halfway with water; set aside. Cut the remaining lemon half into 4 wedges; set aside.
  2. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, trim the leafy top third with a serrated knife. Pull off the dark outer leaves one by one to reveal the tender yellow inner leaves. Trim the stem bottom.
  3. Cut around the outside of the artichoke with a paring knife to remove the remaining tough leaf base. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the dark green skin from the stem, smoothing the edges where the leaves were attached.
  4. Cut the artichoke in half lengthwise through the leaves and stem. Using a small spoon, gently scoop out the tough purple choke and the fuzz found between the leaves and stem; discard.
  5. Cut each artichoke half in half again lengthwise and place in the reserved lemon water. Repeat with the remaining artichokes.
  6. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of generously salted water to a boil. Prepare an ice water bath by filling a large bowl halfway with ice and water; set aside. Remove the artichoke quarters from the lemon water, drop them into the boiling water, and cook until just tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and transfer to the prepared ice water bath until cool. Drain again and pat dry between towels (the drier the better).
  7. Place the flour in a medium bowl; set aside. Line another medium bowl with a paper towel; set aside.
  8. Wipe the pot used to boil the artichokes completely dry, pour in the oil, and set over high heat until the oil temperature reaches 350°F on a candy/fat thermometer. Toss half of the artichoke pieces in the bowl of flour, shake off any excess, and, using a slotted spoon, slowly lower them into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Using the slotted spoon, transfer the artichokes to the paper-towel-lined bowl, sprinkle generously with salt, and toss to coat. Repeat with the remaining artichokes. Serve immediately with the reserved lemon wedges.
    Write a review | 7 Reviews
  • Carciofi alla Giudia (Jewish-Style Artichokes) Recipe
    5

    I have to agree with aardvark. CaG look like big, open, fried flowers and vaguely resemble a chain restaurant "bloomin' onion". I have eaten them in the old Jewish quarter in Rome and find them tough to eat, but they have always been whole, choke and all. The trimming steps are for more routine artichoke cooking and I use steps 1-5 prior to cooking them sous vide in lemon, garlic and a bit of olive oil.

  • OMG, this is complete sacrilege! I don't mean to be a harsh critic, but I have no choice here.

    From step 3 down is something that no self-respecting cook would ever do. The whole point of CaG (and that's "giudia", tatamagouche!) is that the plant is used nearly intact, barely trimmed, and the cooking process is the only one that allows to eat it complete with the choke. Quartering the artichoke is a complete no-no and ruins the presentation. The idea is to take small-to-medium artichokes, trim them lightly on the outside, while flattening somewhat vertically to make the "flower" crack open. Once they are fried, the idea is to turn them stem-side up and press them down lightly to make the remaining leaves spread out like a flower. If you trim and quarter them first, you can't do that! Of course, if you leave the choke in, you better be pretty sure that you fried it well or it's going to stick in your throat. It is also essential to leave a long stem attached (although Italian Tourism site tells you to trim the stem off, so that you can present it with the "flower" up). I've seen some version of CaG that require double-frying, like french-fries, but I have NEVER seen the first step to be BOILING. This is a one-pot preparation, going back centuries. Multi-step cooking did not exist back then, certainly not in Jewish Quarter (Ghetto) in Rome. The recipe given above may be a great preparation for artichokes, but it's NOT Carciofi alla Giudia.

    And you really DON'T want to drink white wine with artichokes, no matter how they are prepared!

  • I have eaten these many times,but to increase the enjoyment of eating them ,serve them with Aioli sauce,and skip the lemon wedges.Dollicious Phil

  • This sounds very delicious! I think I'll try this soon. I've got an Italian roommate who will probably enjoy these, as will I. Thanks for the recipe!

  • Pretty sure it's "giudea," not "giudia"?

  • nicht luestig Spazita.

  • Any chance these could be made with canned artichokes? Our supply of fresh is not the best.

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