Carciofi alla Romana
Roman artichokes (mammole) stuffed with wild mint, garlic, and parsley, braised upside down in oil and a little water until meltingly tender. A noble bitterness softened by slow cooking.
Roman artichokes (mammole) stuffed with wild mint, garlic, and parsley, braised upside down in oil and a little water until meltingly tender. A noble bitterness softened by slow cooking.
In springtime, in Rome, people talk of nothing else: the mammola, the round thornless artichoke. You strip off the tough leaves until it yields, you slip into its heart the menta romana, garlic, parsley, and you lay it in the pan, head down, like tucking in a child. An hour of patience over a low flame — and bitterness turns to sweetness. Believe me, it's worth all the diets in the world.
- •Mammole artichokes — one per guest (base)
- •Roman mint (mentuccia) — a bunch (signature fragrance)
- •Garlic — a few cloves (aromatic)
- •Parsley — a bunch (aromatic)
- •Olive oil — generously (braising)
- •Lemon — 1 (anti-oxidation)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Carciofi alla Romana
Roman artichokes (mammole) stuffed with wild mint, garlic, and parsley, braised upside down in oil and a little water until meltingly tender. A noble bitterness softened by slow cooking.
Why this dish? Carciofi alla romana are explicitly listed among the dishes Magnani loved: Roman-style braised artichokes, emblem of the Roman spring and of meals where people gather around the tender leaf.
In springtime, in Rome, people talk of nothing else: the mammola, the round thornless artichoke. You strip off the tough leaves until it yields, you slip into its heart the menta romana, garlic, parsley, and you lay it in the pan, head down, like tucking in a child. An hour of patience over a low flame — and bitterness turns to sweetness. Believe me, it's worth all the diets in the world.
Ingredients (period version)
- Mammole artichokes — one per guest (base)
- Roman mint (mentuccia) — a bunch (signature fragrance)
- Garlic — a few cloves (aromatic)
- Parsley — a bunch (aromatic)
- Olive oil — generously (braising)
- Lemon — 1 (anti-oxidation)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Large round artichokes (e.g., Camus) — 4 (base)
- Fresh mint — 1 small bunch (signature fragrance)
- Garlic — 2 cloves (aromatic)
- Flat-leaf parsley — 1 small bunch (aromatic)
- Extra-virgin olive oil — 100 ml (braising)
- Lemon — 1 (anti-oxidation)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Trim the artichokes: remove tough outer leaves, hollow out the center slightly, rub with lemon.
- Finely chop mint, garlic, and parsley with salt; stuff the mixture into each artichoke heart.
- Arrange the artichokes upside down and tightly packed in a narrow pot.
- Add oil and water to reach halfway up, salt, cover.
- Braise over low heat for 35-45 minutes, until a knife pierces the base with no resistance.
- Serve warm, drizzled with their cooking juices.
How it was made : An iconic dish of *cucina romana*, traditionally made with the 'mammola', a round tender variety grown around Rome, and 'mentuccia', a local wild mint. Cooking upside down in oil and water, without frying, is typically Roman, as opposed to the fried *carciofi alla giudia* of the Jewish quarter.
The contemporary twist : Served upright on the plate, stem trimmed flat, with a drizzle of raw oil and a lemon zest: the artichoke becomes a spring sculpture.
Anna Magnani · Charactorium