Roman-Jewish Style Crispy Fried Artichokes - From Searching For Italy With Stanley Tucci

Don't be intimidated by these beauties! The simplicity of this dish is what makes it so delicious. These are the perfect vegetable dish in the spring time.

Full disclosure I have been cooking up this style of artichokes in restaurants long before #searchingforitaly was ever a thing. But #StanlyTucci definitely inspired me to make the this video.

I find the the technique of double frying to work great. Traditionally these are fried in olive oil ( not extra virgin) but you can honestly use almost any oil with a great outcome.

Recipe-

3 small to medium sized artichokes
2 lemons
32oz Oil for frying
Sea Salt

A couple tips

Fill your pot up at most half way with oil. Once you add the artichokes it bubbles and if filled too high will overflow causing a giant mess or worse.

Dip your artichokes in the lemon water every time you finish a step. This prevents them from turning brown. Don't be shy, continue to dip as you work.

-Fry at a low temperate for the first fry until tender and light golden brown. This is only to cook the artichoke as the second fry is much too hot and quick to make the vegetable soft and tender.

-For the second fry heat oil up to 350F and fry until dark brown. Usually they are ready when they stop producing large bubbles. There is a fine line between burnt and dark, crispy, and delicious.

-Smaller artichokes are much easier to prepare. I lucked out and bought the perfect size of globe artichokes which didn't have a choke but still had a large heart and leaves. You can always buy baby artichokes as well. If you buy large artichokes you will need to scrape out the furry choke which is tedious.

If you decided to boil the artichokes in lemon water until tender instead of the initial fry it will lead to similar results. After the first cook you can store your artichokes in the refrigerator overnight or up to a couple days.

-You can add any spice or seasonings after the second fry. I keep mine simple with parsley and sea salt

This is such a great #vegatarian #vegan dish as well for those of you avoiding animal products. Happy eating!