Artichokes Galore!

Artichokes!

Artichokes or carciofi  are in season right now in southern Italy. You find them everywhere, even farmers by the side of the road selling bunches of 25 at a time. So we bought a bunch! For just a few bucks! And are they good! There is a technique to cleaning them. You have to remove all the outer leaves and clean out the fuzz from inside the heart, by once you get the hang of it it's easy. (You can go here to learn how to clean them, http://www.veggiebelly.com/2010/06/how-to-trim-clean-prepare-artichoke-heart.htm).

The Artist at work at the stove.

Artichokes are really good for you. One large artichoke contains only 25 calories, no fat, 170 milligrams of potassium, and is a good source of vitamin C, folate, magnesium and dietary fiber.One medium artichoke has more fiber than a cup of prunes!(Yes, lots of fiber, so get the beano out!) They contain Cynarin and Silymarin, two powerful phytonutrients, which have strong positive effects on the liver.

Our pasta ai Carciofi

  So here's how we made it:

*After you have cleaned the artichokes down to the heart, slice them thinly (the stems too)
*Saute them in olive oil with some minced garlic
*You can improvise here and add chopped sun dried tomatoes, olives, etc.
*Put some water on to boil for the pasta, don't forget to salt the water generously before throwing in the pasta (any type will do, use your favorite, we even used mushroom filled ravioli, mmmmm)
*Add a couple ladles of the pasta water to your artichoke pan and let it simmer on low while the pasta cooks.
*Cook the pasta till al dente, drain the water and add it to your pan with the artichokes.
*Add a couple pads of butter (Nuccio even added a little Gorgonzola cheese) and toss it in the pan on low heat . If it needs more pasta water add a little.
*Serve it up with a nice helping of grated Romano cheese on top and a nice glass of red wine to drink.
*Enjoy, e Buon Appetito !

 Untill next time, alla prossima!