Carciofi in Olio d'Oliva e Aglio
Artichokes Steamed in Olive Oil and Garlic


4 fresh, firm artichokes
1 lemon, cut in half
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon juice or balsamic vinegar (optional)


To prepare the artichokes, first remove the stem. Pull off any small
loose leaves at the bottom. Cut about 1 inch off the top and rub with
the lemon. This prevents browning. With a kitchen shears, cut the
points off all the leaves. Rub additional lemon over the entire
artichoke. If desired, you can stuff some sliced garlic into some off
the leaves.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a pot large enough to hold the
artichokes in one layer and cover them. Add the minced garlic and saute
about 1 minute. Place the artichokes, stem-side down, in the pot. Baste
with the garlic and olive oil. Add enough water to come up about 1 inch.
(The less water you use, the tastier it will be. However, it will also
take longer to cook.) Cover; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until
the leaves pull off easily, about 1 hour depending on size and freshness
of the artichokes. Baste occasionally with the liquid. Sprinkle with salt
and pepper to taste.

To serve, place each artichoke on a serving plate. If desired,
sprinkle with lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. Serves 4.

Note: For those of you who have never eaten a whole artichoke, it is
simple and lots of fun. Just remove the leaves, one at a time. Place
the meaty part of the leaf against your bottom teeth and then scrape
to remove the flesh. If the flesh on the outer leaves seem dry, just
discard them and continue. After all the leaves have been removed, use
a spoon to scoop out and discard the fibers from the bottom, which is
all flesh, and eat that as well.

"Adriana's Italian Gourmet Cookies"

If you would like more of our Italian and Sicilian recipes straight
from Italy be sure to visit CookiesFromItaly.com

Ciao-Ciao!
Adriana



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