Carciofi fritti alla Romana, Roman-style fried artichokes

Carciofi fritti alla Romana, Roman-style fried artichokes, are a popular and loved appetizer/street food/side dish in Rome. Artichoke wedges, battered and fried, are easy to make, tasty, and quick.

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Carciofi/artichokes

Artichokes are a staple of the Roman cuisine. In the winter, farmers markets show an abundace of them and they are a popular food item on Roman tables. There are different types of artichokes, the "romanesco" or otherwise called "mammola" being the most loved and exclusive. It has a round, big head and almost or no choke at all. Choke being the inside beard that when cleaning the artichokes, you have to remove. They are tender and used to make the stewed "carciofi alla romana", "carciofi alla giudia", and also "carciofi fritti", the fried artichokes I am sharing today.

How to clean artichokes

Clean the artichokes well by removing the hardest outer leaves. With a knife cut the stem almost completely, then cut the tips on the top of the leaves. Wash them and place them in a bowl with water and a squeezed lemon. Throw the lemon in, too.

Then, cut them in half, clean the beard in the middle, and cut them into wedges, not too thick. Let them sit in the water with lemon while you make the batter. You can use part of the stem, too, the part closer to the artichoke. Just peel it and cut in rounds or long matches.

Carciofi fritti - the batter

In a bowl whisk the eggs with the water, then slowly add the sifted flour, then add the extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix everything well until creamy and smooth. Let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. After that, drain the artichokes and dry with a paper towel.

After the 30 minutes, take the batter our of the fridge, give a little stir, and place some artichoke wedges into the batter. Toss to cover them, and leave them in the batter while the oil comes to temperature.

Frying the artichokes

Add enough oil so that the artichokes are covered. We like to use peanut oil for frying because it is more resistant at high temperatures. Heat the oil until quite hot (160°-180°C), then, with a fork, grab one of the wedges at a time, allow the excess batter to drip off, and place in the oil carefully. Do the same with other wedges, but spread them well, do not overcrowd the pan. Work in batches, if needed. Let them cook on one side, then turn them and cook on the other side. Flip them over as much as needed, they have to be evenly golden.

If you have a deep fryer, go for it, they will be ready in minutes and perfectly crispy. You could also use a tall pan, so the artichokes will be submerged in oil, or a frying pan, as my dad likes to use. You can see from the picture that my dad doesn't like to use a lot of oil, it still works, but requires a little more attention and effort.

Drain them with a skimmer and place them on a paper towel lined platter or brown paper bag to absorb excess oil.
Lastly, transfer them to a serving platter, salt lightly, and serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.

Carciofi fritti - what to serve them with

If you're in a Roman pizzeria, you can order fried artichokes and it would most likely come with other fried foods like supplì, potato croquettes, and fiori di zucca. After the fried appetizer platter, you would be ready to order your pizza, pizza capricciosa being one of the most popular.

At home, they would be a great side dish to some traditional Roman dishes: abbacchio al forno con patate (roasted lamb and potatoes), or fettine alla pizzaiola (thin slices of tender beef in tomato sauce).

These Carciofi fritti alla Romana (Roman-style fried artichokes) are a great finger food. Very addictive, they have a light and crispy coating and when you bite in the artichoke is tender and full of umami flavor.

Try them, they are irresistible, you won't stop at just one.

Types of artichokes you can use

• You can use baby artichokes, if you can find them. Of course, use more than two for this recipe.
• You could also use the canned ones packed in water. Drain them, dry them, and proceed as explained.
• If your only alternative are the larger ones, be prepared to remove a lot of the outer leaves to get to that tender center. And also remember, they have a large choke in the middle.

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