Carciofi Fritti Alla Romana Roman Style Fried Artichokes Recipes

ROMAN-JEWISH STYLE FRIED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Pare artichoke bases flat, and remove tough outer leaves, leaving pale-green edible ones. Trim tops off. Rub cut surfaces with lemon half. Work quickly; do not soak in water.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil and garlic in saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown artichokes cooking on all sides 2 to 3 minutes. If garlic gets too brown, discard. Stand artichokes on bottoms; cook 1 to 2 minutes, or until tender.
• Leave pan with oil on stove; transfer artichokes to paper towel to drain upside down until slightly cool. Spread leaves like a flower (scrape out fuzzy choke with melon baller).
• Season artichokes with salt and pepper; add 3 tablespoons oil to pan; when hot, add enough artichokes to fit comfortably without overlapping, bases facing up. Cook over medium-high heat, pressing leaves down, until brown and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Keep warm while cooking second batch. Blot well.
• Salt lightly, and serve hot with shaved Parmesan and lemon wedges.

CARCIOFI FRITTI ALLA ROMANA (ROMAN-STYLE FRIED ARTICHOKES)

Steps:

• Clean the artichokes well by removing the hardest outer leaves. With a knife cut the stem almost completely, then cut the tips on the top of the leaves. Wash them and place them in a bowl with water and a squeezed lemon. Throw the lemon in, too.
• Then, cut them in half, clean the beard in the middle, and cut them into wedges. Let them sit in the acidulated water while you make the batter. You can use part of the stem, too, the part closer to the artichoke. Just peel it and cut in rounds or long matches.
• In a bowl whisk the eggs with the water, then slowly add the flour, the extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix everything well until creamy and smooth. Cover, and let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Drain the artichokes and dry with a paper towel.
• After the 30 minutes, take the batter our of the fridge, give a little stir, and place some artichoke wedges into the batter. Toss to cover them, and leave them in the batter while the oil comes to temperature.
• Add enough oil so that the artichokes are covered. Heat the oil until quite hot, then with a fork, grab one of the wedges, allow the excess batter to drip off and place in the oil carefully. Spread them well, do not overcrowd the pan. Work in batches. Let them cook on one side, then turn them and cook on the other side. Flip them over as mush as needed, they have to be evenly golden brown.
• Drain them with a skimmer and place them on a paper towel lined platter or brown paper bag to absorb excess oil,
• Lastly, transfer them to a serving platter, salt lightly, and serve immediately, with lemon wedges on the side.