Preparation of Artichokes for Cooking
In Sicily there are many ways to cook artichokes. Every town, small or big has recipes or ways of cooking them to make this popular vegetable a tasty, delicious and nutritious treat. Mainly all cooks use the same basic ingredients but by adding a different component, mostly abundant in their own area, it can transform and enhance the taste to make a difference from town to town, just a few miles away.
All over Sicily the artichokes are boiled and eaten dipped in olive oil and vinegar; also they are dipped in various kinds of batters or simply lightly coated with flour and fried. They are sautéed, stewed, made in a frittata or as a condiment for a pasta dish and stuffed in many ways.
In the province of Messina, artichokes are stuffed with cured meat; in other towns the almonds and capers are the main ingredients for the stuffing, and artichokes roasted in the open fire, with garlic and oil are very popular in other parts of Sicily.
In the province of Agrigento, they make artichoke “incanalati- stuffed with parsley, garlic, drizzled with olive oil and baked in an open fire between two Spanish tiles and covering the top tile with burning charcoal.
In Enna the garlic is mixed with onions and pecorino, without breadcrumbs. In Trapani the anchovies and the capers are present in many preparations and always in the stuffed artichokes.
In Palermo, the artichokes are made stuffed, sautéed, fried, baked “alla viddanedda” country style, or “attuppati”, -otturati- meaning closed up and with a stuffing made of a mixture of eggs breadcrumbs, herbs, pinoli, raisins, meat, garlic, sautéed and stewed in a light tomato sauce.
Preparing the artichokes for cooking may appear as a complicated and boring accomplishment, on the contrary it is easy and can get done in little time.
Usually one artichoke is served for each person, but you can prepare a few extra, they are delicious the next day but rarely there are any left over!
Preparation of Artichokes
When preparing artichokes for cooking, wear utility gloves so you can avoid staining your hands. Prepare a basin with water, acidulated with the juice of a lemon, to soak the artichokes after they are trimmed, to prevent discoloration.
Remove stem and discard hard outer leaves, the first 2 or 3 rows, until the artichoke’s leaves became light in color and usually tender. Trim base cutting enough of it so that the artichoke can stand up in the cooking pot. Cut off one-third of the petals eliminating the pointy top.
To make stuffed artichokes, bang them on the counter or cutting board to loosen the leaves, press them upside down and spread the petals apart so they can be filled with the stuffing.
Keep the artichokes in the acidulated solution until ready to cook them.
If you need halves, for baking, cut the artichokes in half the long way, eliminate and discard the prickly leaves in the center and the choke, the filament non edible part at bottom of the artichokes.
To sauté or stew, after eliminating the pointy top, remove a few more outside petals of the artichokes, until the leaves are tender and light in color.
Cut them in half the long way and eliminate the prickly leaves from the inside and the choke, the filament non edible part at bottom of the artichokes; then cut each half in three parts and place in the acidulated water until ready to cook them.
