Liguria incredible artichokes and 5 ways to cook them!
This is the period of the year when beautiful, thorny, artichokes show off on Liguria market stalls.
The most popular, the best, are the artichokes of Albenga, better known as “thorny violet artichokes of Albenga” (carciofo violetto di Albenga). Their peculiarity? The leaves. Watercolor of dark green with purple shades and yellow thorns, they are exceptionally tender, crunchy and sweet.
You can eat them raw in salad, just thinly sliced and seasoned with Evo oil, salt and pepper. Maybe you can add some slices of parmesan cheese and few drops of balsamic vinegar!
The artichokes of Albenga are an ancient local culture. They were renowned all over Europe already in the Renaissance, so much so that the famous French gastronome Parmantier in the middle of 1700 called them the “Genoese sugar”.
For sake of completeness, there is also another famous artichoke in Liguria, it is the Artichoke of Perinaldo, cultivated in the mountain territory of the village of Perinaldo (west side of Liguria) and Slow Food Presidium of our Region. It is an artichoke without thorns, tender and without beards inside, and harvested in May. The production is so small that you can hardly find it fresh outside his native country. But, if you’re lucky you can find it in oil!
How do we cook artichokes in Liguria?
Artichokes are very popular in our cuisine, there are recipes in all traditional cookbooks, as they have always been a local product, though quite expensive since ever.
First of all, stewed artichokes are a great filling for Ligurian vegetable pies and in particular for the Pasqualina Pie (the Easter savory Pie), in its most elite version of Artichoke Pie.
The Genoese, love also to accompany lamb with artichokes, this is also a dish of the Easter tradition. The flavors of lamb and artichokes matches so well that there is few need of any other ingredients.
Moreover, artichoke sauce is very common to season pasta, in its white version with parsley and marjoram or with tomato sauce (the recipe will come soon).
What about cutting some thin slices of artichokes on you farinata? This is definitely my favorite variation of the famous Liguria cheek pea pie!
The artichokes, finally, are extremely good with eggs.
And, in fact, a traditional way to cook them is in fricassee, i.e. stewed and tied before serving with a slightly sour beaten egg cream and lemon.
The other recipe, which I recently prepared, is that of Genoese artichoke frittata.
The peculiarity of this recipe is the presence, next to artichokes, of bread crumbs soaked in milk. A “trick” of cooking which increases the portions and decreases the overall cost of the dish (artichokes have always been a very expensive product) using bread, often stale. A great example of how the traditional Ligurian cuisine, the peasant and everyday cuisine, is also a sustainable cuisine.
This is also a way to keep the frittata moist and tender!
You can read the recipe of Liguria artichoke frittata here, or clicking on the picture above!
For the time that’s all, but I will be in your inbox soon!
With love,
Enrica
Maybe we do not know me very well? Let me introduce myself again.
My name is Enrica, I was born and bred in Genoa, the capitol of the Italian Riviera.
I’m a culinary researcher and experience curator in Liguria.
After 15 years as an International lawyer I decided to change my life and started following my skills and interests: cooking, studying, making researches, writing and discovering Liguria.
In 2016 I opened my food blog in Italian and in English, A Small kitchen in Genoa, where I share traditional, reliable, family recipes and food stories from the Italian Riviera.
My mission is to preserve the Ligurian culinary heritage from the dust of time.
I do it though historical researches, visiting the remotest corners of my Region, talking to old people (our living patrimony), discovering local producers and artisans.
And then share all of it with you:
-I write about Ligurian cuisine through my blog and my upcoming book.
-I organize regional cooking classes in my home kitchen or in private villas.
-I organize food tours in Genoa and Portofino area.
-I give online cooking classes via Zoom.
- And sometimes I consult as Ligurian food travel designer.
If you wish you can follow my Ligurian food adventures also on my Instagram Account!