by Paolo Sari MONACO. Hi guys, I am Paolo Sari, the only Michelin starred Certified Organic Chef in the world inviting you to join me in my Kitchen. Today you will learn how to present artichokes’ entrée and primo piatto in artistic and tasty way!

 ENTREE

RAW AND FRIED SPINY ARTICHOKES

Serving: 4

Time: 30 minutes

 Ingredients – Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 tbsp – Salt and pepper – Spiny artichokes 8 pieces – Lemon 1 piece -Thinely sliced ​​parmesan 50 g – Marjoram leaves – Rice flour 1 tablespoon

Method:
Artichokes: For this recipe I prefer the spiny ones, because they are more tasty, and at the same time more delicate; the leaves are less thick and less bitter. The winter season is the most favorable for my vegetable gardens in Albenga, which is the d.o.c. terroir for this variety of artichokes. When the season will be a bit warmer, we will pass on higher up vegetable garden, i.e. in Grasse, in Nice’s hinterland. Anyway, the French Violette are also good when young and even the American Globe will do if young and fresh and you are desperate for a taste of Italy!

Save, cut and peel the stems of the artichokes then cut the stalks thinly, they are delicious.

Just take off the tougher dark outside leaves of the artchokes, a row or two, and then break the next row or so where they want to break. (be careful not to prick yourself)

Cut off the top third, cut in half, remove the choke is there is one and slice lengthwise the artichokes very thinly in a julienne.

Place the slices in a bowl with water and lemon juice to make them not blacken.

Take half of the artichokes’slices out of the water, season them with lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

Slice the parmesan into very thin shavings.

Place a steel square food mold in the middle of the plate and place inside it the seasoned artichokes.

Spread the surface well and cover with parmesan shavings.

Remove from the water the remaining artichokes’slices, drain  and place them  on a paper to dry.

Mix the artichokes with rice flour and fry in hot oil at 180 ° for a minute, or until they are golden brown and crispy.

Plating:

Remove the mold from the plate, place the fried artichokes in the middle
and garnish with the marjoram leaves as in the image below:

 

PRIMO PIATTO

“POIVRADE” ARTICHOKES’ RISOTTO  

Serving: a table of 4

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: 

Artichoke Stock – 1 L water -1 tablespoon salt – Outer leaves of a “poivrade” artichoke

Risotto – 1 shallot – 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil – Salt and pepper – 5 “poivrade” artichokes
1 lemon – 320 g Carnaroli rice (80 g per person) – ½ glass of dry white wine – 600 ml of the artichoke stock – Lightly salted churned butter – 50 g grated Parmesan cheese -1 tablespoon rice flour

Miscellaneous  – 8 borage flowers -Parmesan shavings

Recipe:

Stock – Method:
Peel 3 “poivrade” artichokes.
Boil the hard outer artichoke leaves in water with a tablespoon of salt.
Move the artichoke leaf stock to another pot.
Put aside and prepare 3 artichoke hearts (remove the remaining leaves).
Keep the hearts in water with some lemon juice to to make them not blacken.

Risotto – Method:
Chop half a shallot.
Begin cooking the shallots in a frying pan in some olive oil.
Let the shallots simmer at low heat to preserve the flavour.
Squeeze the 3 artichoke hearts a little bit to remove the lemon water.
Cut the hearts in half, cut them in a julienne and add to the shallot in the frying pan.
Deglaze with some white wine, then sdd the Carnaroli rice.
Add the stock gradually to the still hot rice so that it continues to cook, then cover for even cooking (around 15 minutes).
Stir regularly adding stock if/as necessary.
Remove from the hob and add the softened butter and Parmesan cheese and mix vigorously. (This step is known as “mantecatura”, from the spanish word “manteca” that means butter.)
Artichoke crisps
Peel the 2 remaining “poivrade” artichokes and slice the hearts thinly using the mandolin slicer to a julienne.
Mix with the rice flour.
Remove the excess rice flour using a sieve.
Fry the thinly sliced artichoke hearts at 160°C (very quickly, just until they are golden brown).
Strain the artichoke crisps using kitchen towel.

Plating: 
Place the risotto in the serving dish using a round plating ring.
Complete with the fried artichoke.
Remove the ring, add Parmesan shavings between the crisps and the borage flowers as in the image below: