Name: Jewish-Style Artichokes
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: ItalianEurope
Ingredients: 1 lemon , halved, plus lemon wedges for serving; 2 pounds baby artichokes; Extra-virgin olive oil; Flake sea salt

Why This Recipe Works

Translating to “Jewish-style artichokes,” this dish was born in the isolated Jewish ghetto of Rome (first established by decree of the Pope in 1555), and as such is a simple and unaltered example of truly traditional Jewish-Italian cuisine. It's nothing more than baby artichokes—a prominent vegetable in Roman cuisine—that are pared down to their tender core and delicate inner leaves, cooked in hot extra-virgin olive oil until crispy and browned, and then sprinkled with sea salt and served with lemon. Such simple dishes usually rely on the quality of their ingredients, and this classic is no different. Baby artichokes are a must here, as their tender hearts cook quickly and their soft leaves become shatteringly crisp. The leaves of the larger globe artichokes were tough by the time they were golden, and the larger heart didn't have the same creamy interior. The cooking method proved just as important: Dropping the prepped artichokes in hot oil produced scorched, bitter-tasting leaves, while starting them in cold oil produced spotty browning. Instead, we landed on an approach somewhere in the middle. We started the artichokes in a pot of extra-virgin olive oil heated to a moderate 300 degrees until the hearts were just cooked through; we then removed them while we increased the heat to 325 degrees. The artichokes required just 1 or 2 minutes in the hotter oil to develop golden, super-crisp leaves.

Before You Begin

While we prefer the flavor of extra-virgin olive oil, you can use vegetable, canola, or peanut oil to fry the artichokes.

Instructions

Squeeze lemon halves into 4 cups cold water in large bowl; add spent halves. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, peel and trim stem to remove dark green layer, then cut off top quarter of artichoke. Break off tough outer leaves by pulling them downward until you reach delicate yellow leaves. Cut artichoke in half lengthwise and submerge in water.

Line rimmed baking sheet with kitchen towel. Remove artichokes from lemon water, shaking off excess water, and transfer to prepared sheet; discard water and spent halves. Thoroughly pat artichokes dry and transfer to clean bowl.

Set wire rack in now-empty rimmed baking sheet and line with triple layer of paper towels. Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about 2 inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 300 degrees. Carefully add artichokes to oil and cook until tender, pale green, and edges of leaves just begin to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Using spider or slotted spoon, transfer artichokes to prepared sheet.

Heat oil over medium-high heat to 325 degrees. Return artichokes to oil and cook until golden and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Using skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer artichokes to sheet. Season with salt to taste. Serve with lemon wedges.