It's Artichoke Season - Bet you've never had them like this!

Here's our first recipe post from our Northern Italian family cookbook Mangia e Taci. It's called Carciofi Al Tegame, which means "Artichokes in a Pot." It creates a broth that is lemony with a hint of anise and garlic. You should be sure to have some nice, dense French bread on hand to soak up the broth.

Carciofi Al Tegame

Artichokes In A Pot

Although you could serve this as an appetizer or first course, especially if you use smaller artichokes, we always ate it as our main course. Mom always used large chokes in season, and with the addition of salad and plenty of bread, it was a substantial meal. There would always be a couple of large bowls on the table to accommodate all the leaves we had dunked in the broth and scraped across our teeth in our efforts to reach the treasured heart at the bottom. I am still delighted by this dish because for me it is not work to eat an artichoke, but an adventure. An artichoke prepared this way is not as rich or calorie laden as one served with melted butter or mayonnaise, yet, in my opinion, it is much more satisfying. I have made this with a couple tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese added to the egg and lemon mixture, even though the recipe doesn’t call for it, and it was very good—I love parmesan!

4 medium to large very fresh artichokes (they should be firm and not overly mottled)

2 cups good quality chicken broth (homemade is best)

1 cup cold water

3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs

2 egg yolks           

2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice           

3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup minced Italian parsley (about ¾ cup leaves)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Olive oil to drizzle

Trim and wash artichokes thoroughly. To prevent discoloration, place them in a bowl of cold water with some lemon juice in it as you clean them. Drain the chokes and place tip side down in a pot with the broth and cold water. The pot should hold them comfortably so that the liquid reaches about half way up the chokes. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Turn the chokes over so that the bottoms are now submerged, cover and continue to simmer 20 to 25 minutes, or until a leaf is easily pulled from the base. Cooking time will depend on the size of the artichokes. Remove the chokes from the broth and set aside. Keep the broth simmering and add the bread crumbs. Beat the yolks with the lemon juice. Stir 2 or 3 tablespoons hot broth into the yolk mixture then add the entire mixture to the broth in the pot. Add the garlic, parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Return the artichokes to the pot, bottoms down, then spoon the broth over the tops and drizzle them with olive oil. Cover and simmer another 10 minutes. Serve in soup or pasta bowls with the broth ladled over the top and plenty of good bread to soak up the juice. Serves 4.