I’m going to admit it, once and for all: I’m a food snob.
I have no problem confessing that all I thought about before I came to Rome and all I think about while living in Rome is food. Well, I do think about other stuff, like studying for my five midterms and brushing my teeth, but I digress. So, because I am such a food snob, I am determined to have the best of the best during my stay. It would be safe to say that at this point in my life, food is my religion and Fred Plotkin’s “Italy for the Gourmet Traveler” is my bible.
Before coming to Rome, my dad (whom I whole-heartedly blame for my food snobbish-ness), in his infinite wisdom of everything that is cuisine, told me to try “Jewish” artichokes. When the vegetable is in season, which happens to be now in spring, carciofi alla Giudia are very popular in Italian restaurants and in Rome in particular.
Since I love artichokes, the dish was added to the list of foods I had to try once in Italy. And, due to my borderline obsessive fixation on having the best food Rome can offer me, I dragged a friend to the Jewish section so we could sample the famous Carciofi alla Giudia at Piperno restaurant.
In a quiet, secluded square in Rome’s Jewish Ghetto neighborhood lies Piperno restaurant. The Piperno family opened the doors in 1860, making Piperno one of the oldest restaurants in the Jewish section. When it first opened, Piperno was a simple Roman tavern where locals could enjoy a bottle of house wine with a bowl of spaghetti and a side of Jewish artichokes. The quaint trattoria evolved into a sophisticated eatery once the management passed on to the founder’s son, Angleo, and then later to Mario Piperno. To this day, Piperno remains the undisputed “home of the artichoke cooked the Jewish way,” and rightly so: the carciofi alla Giudia are amazing.
Before frying, the artichokes are soaked in water and lemon juice, then seasoned with salt and pepper. The carciofi are then deep-fried in olive oil, where the outer leaves get browned and crispy. The end result is simply delicious: the pulpy center of the artichoke doesn’t get browned from the hot oil but is instead buttery and tender. The crispy outer leaves of the vegetable are so crunchy and nutty that they could easily pass as potato chips. The combination of the soft artichoke heart and the crisp leaves is wonderful.
Since the prickly vegetable is in season here in Rome, the artichoke is even popping up in small pizza al taglio shops. Some are deep-fried in batter and others prepared alla Romana, with lemon, white wine, mint and garlic, but the most popular is the classic carciofi alla Giudia. For anyone traveling or studying in Rome in the spring, I highly recommend the delicious Jewish artichokes at Piperno restaurant.
kholliday@theeagleonline.com
