Carciofi alla Romana

(Roman Artichokes)

This classic Roman dish is served when artichokes are at their best. Long cooked to utter lusciousness, the only way to describe this antioxidant-rich dish is the great sex of food.

Ingredient List:

• Makes 2 servings
• 2 globe artichokes
• Sea salt
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3-4 sprigs fresh mint, left whole
• 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled, minced

Step By Step Instructions:

Clean the artichokes. Using a sharp knife, peel the stem without removing it from the artichoke. Using kitchen scissors, trim the sharp tip off each artichoke leaf. Using a sharp knife, remove the top third of the artichoke. Rub the artichoke leaves lightly with salt.

Place the oil in the bottom of a sauce pan. Stand the artichokes, cut side down, in the oil. Sprinkle garlic over artichokes and lay the mint sprigs on top. Add water to accumulate ¼-inch on the bottom of the pan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook until the artichokes pierce easily with a fork, about 45 minutes. Remove the cover and the mint sprigs and continue to cook until the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes more. Transfer to a serving plate and serve warm or at room temperature with lemon wedges to squeeze over the artichokes, as desired.

Cook’s Tip: At the end of cooking, you should be able to eat the entire artichoke leaf. Also you can continue to simmer until the bottoms of the artichokes tops have begun to brown, about 5-7 minutes.