What About Italian Artichokes?

May 15th, 2023

I’ve been in and around Verona, Italy this Spring where artichokes figure heavily. I was lucky enough to eat some Sicilian artichokes stuffed with olive oil and leeks and roasted over a wood fire -

They were amazing, smokey and so flavorful.

As I don’t have a grill in my New York City apartment, I am instead showing a lovely way to eat artichokes I came across in Padua. They are sliced as thinly as possible and fried with a light dusting of flour and then salted. They are wonderful and pretty addictive so just don’t make too many at once and you’ll be OK.

As for artichokes, you need 1 ½–2 pounds of baby artichokes.

This is how they look in Italy. You will more often find smaller ones without stems in the US.

First cut away the top 1/3 of each one.

Then trim around the base to leave only lighter colored leaves and expose the bottoms.

Slice each one as thinly as possible without it falling apart. You will need a good, sharp knife.

Lightly coat the slices with egg beaten with a little water to thin it. Shake off the excess and turn in the flour with a little salt mixed into it. Shake the slices to let extra flour drop back into the bowl.

Heat a small pan of oil about 1” deep for approximately 5 minutes, to about 350º or until a bit of flour flicked into the oil sizzles.

Cook in batches so as not to crowd the slices, turning halfway through to brown them on all sides.

Set to drain on paper towels and salt lightly. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze on top.

FRIED THINLY SLICED BABY ARTICHOKES

1 ½–2 pounds of baby artichokes

1 large egg beaten with 2 T. water

1 c. flour with 2 t. salt mixed into it

2 c. grapeseed oil with 3 T. olive oil

Salt

Lemon wedges to serve

Trim the artichokes as shown above and slice thinly

Heat the oil for about 5 minutes. A little flour should sizzle when you flick it in if the oil is hot enough.

Mix the egg and water, prepare a second bowl with the seasoned flour.

Dip slices in batches into the egg letting them drain well, and then into the flour to coat them. Shake off excess flour before putting them into the hot oil.

Fry 3–5 minutes, over medium heat, turn and continue another 3–5 minutes so they are brown all over. Drain on paper towel and continue until the batches are all cooked. Salt lightly and serve with lemon wedges.

I also discovered that lasagna is as varied as paella in Spain. There is, for example, asparagus lasagna, winter squash lasagna and artichoke lasagna. Here is a recipe for butternut squash lasagna that is one of my favorites.

It does not have tomato sauce as we’ve come to expect with traditional lasagna, but it is really wonderful, nevertheless.

LASAGNA WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND BECHAMEL

3 lb. butternut squash

½ lb. no-boil or al dente cooked lasagna noodles (or a little more, depending on the size of your lasagna pan)

2–4 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated (½–1 c.)

1 ½ T. fresh sage, minced

FOR THE BÉCHAMEL SAUCE:

4 T. butter

3 T. minced shallots

6 T. all-purpose flour

2 1/2 c. milk

salt and pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

grated nutmeg, to taste

2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (½ c.)

1 ½ T. fresh sage, minced

Preheat the oven to 425º. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Cut the squash in half, and place on the baking sheet cut side down. Bake 30–40 minutes or until squash is tender enough to be pierced through to the center with a paring knife. Remove from the heat and allow to cool until you can handle it, then cut away the skin, remove the seeds, and cut in thin slices. Turn the oven down to 350º

While the squash is in the oven, make the béchamel.

Place a saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter. When it foams, add the shallots and cook until they begin to turn translucent. Sprinkle flour over the top and stir to combine, then cook gently until the mixture has turned light brown and gives off a nutty scent, approximately 10 minutes. Add milk gradually to the mixture, whisking all the while, until the sauce is thick and creamy. Turn the heat to very low and simmer, stirring often with a whisk and scraping the bottom and edges of the pan, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce is thick and has lost its raw flour taste. Season with salt, pepper a pinch of cayenne and nutmeg. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and 1 tablespoon of the sage.

Preheat the oven to 350º. Oil a rectangular baking dish. Spread a spoonful of béchamel over the bottom. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles. Spread a thin layer of the béchamel over the noodles. Top with half the squash. Season the squash with salt and pepper and sprinkle with Parmesan. Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of lasagna noodles topped with béchamel and Parmesan. Sprinkle the remaining sage over the top. Make sure the noodles are well coated with béchamel so they will soften during baking

Cover the baking dish tightly with lightly oiled foil to prevent sticking, and place in the oven. Bake 40 minutes, until the noodles are tender, and the mixture is bubbling. Uncover and, if you wish, bake another 5 to 10 minutes until the top begins to brown. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.