Artichokes alla giudia: the irresistible double-cooked dish of the Roman tradition

Here is the recipe for artichokes alla giudia, an irresistible and easy to make dish, perfect to bring to the table on any occasion.

The artichokes alla giudia are a real sin of gluttony . This is one of the most loved typical dishes of all the Roman culinary tradition, and it is a crispy fried artichoke like never before, which is served whole and which is eaten by removing the leaves one by one, just like delicious artichoke chips.

It is an original recipe, that of artichokes alla giudia, born in the Jewish ghetto of the Roman capital (and it is precisely for the Jewish origins that they are called in this way). Often the preparation is confused with the classic Roman-style artichokes cooked in a pan , and can be served as an appetizer or delicious finger food during a dinner with friends which, we can say, will certainly not be low-calorie: just think that a portion is around 180 kcal which they don’t even seem like many, but we remind you that it is always a fried recipe.

Are you ready to find out how to prepare these fried violets? So let’s start and immediately see the recipe for artichokes alla giudia!

How to cook artichokes alla giudia

1. As always, the first phase consists in cleaning the artichokes . Remove the part of the final stem leaving the softer one and then remove all the leaves until you get to the less hard ones.
2. At this point, turn the artichokes upside down and exert a slight pressure against the cutting board or your work surface in order to open the vegetable a little to flower. You can also enlarge it from the inside with your fingers: the goal is precisely to obtain a flower, without damaging the leaves or making them detach.
3. Remove the internal beard and in the meantime, while you clean the artichokes, soak them in water and lemon to prevent them from oxidizing .
4. Meanwhile, heat the oil until it reaches a high temperature, and at that point immerse the artichokes a couple at a time so that we always have the stem facing upwards and not immersed in the oil. Let them brown well for about 10 minutes , then remove them and put them to dry on some paper towels or paper for frying.
5. Light the flame under the oil pan again, which you can also decide to change if it has reached the smoke point. Once at temperature ( about 160/170 ° C ) immerse them again for about 1 minutes, or in any case until they become crispy, helping you with pliers to move them without burning them .
6. Once cooked, dry them with a sheet of kitchen paper and finish with salt and pepper. Enjoy your meal!

Tips for preparing artichokes alla romana fried to perfection

There are many tips that we could give you to prepare this dish, but the really useful ones are few and very specific: you have to pay attention, first of all, to the temperature of the oil. We advise you to use a special cooking thermometer and check that the first frying is done at a slightly lower temperature than the second ( 140/150 ° C and about 160/170 ° C after ). The second cooking of the fried Roman artichokes is used to give crunchiness and make this traditional recipe super delicious. Furthermore, good cooking allows there to be no waste. In fact, all the “artichoke flower” is edible and delicious.

Still talking about oil, you are free to choose the type of oil you prefer for frying , according to the classic recipe extra virgin olive oil is used, but you can also opt for a lighter and more versatile seed oil.

After cooking them, if you want to serve them in a rustic enough way you can leave them with the stem , otherwise you can cut it and turn them upside down on the plate, so that they look like greedy flowers in every way.

The last tip is for a light cooking, you can also try to prepare the artichokes alla giudia in the oven, all you have to do is put them upside down on a pan with a drizzle of oil and cook them for about 35 minutes. 180 ° C.

Also try all our recipes with artichokes : a real goodness!

storage

This easy and tasty side dish is best consumed at the moment . We do not recommend freezing in the freezer.