Stuffed, grilled "Scaciofoli"
(artichokes) by the "Blessed Colombia"("Scaciofoli" (carciofi) ripieni,
grigliati, della "Beata Colomba")
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- 8 "Mammola" artichokes (the parent), tender, young without
their internal choke
- 8-10 bunches of nepitella (field balm/calamint)
- a small bunch of parsley
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 50 grams butter
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- ½ a glass of white wine vinegar
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
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Clean and trim the artichokes well, removing the internal
choke and put them immediately into cold water with lemon juice. Take care
to cut the stems off level so they can remain upright on the grill and contain
the stuffing, keep to one side the cut off stems the insides of which, without
the fibrous skin, are tender and edible.
Put the artichokes and vinegar in a pan of salted water and boil for 5-6
minutes. Drain with a slotted spoon and put upside down on absorbent paper.
Put the stems in the same boiling water and cook until very tender about
10-12 minutes. Drain these and put in the blender with the nepitella, parsley,
garlic, butter, stock cube, 2-3 spoons of oil, salt, pepper and 2-3 spoons
of the water in which the artichokes were cooked. Blend until the mixture
becomes dense, adding more water if necessary, then put into a small pan
and keep hot on a very low heat (ideally in a double boiler, but also possible
on an electric hotplate) to be ready for use ; it is the stuffing for the
artichokes. On a red-hot gas grill brown, for 4-5 minutes, the leafy part
of the artichokes which have been previously dried, squashed a little and
delicately massaged without breaking or miss-shaping them but trying to
make them open as much as possible, then turn them and stand them upright
on the base previously cut level. Season a little, then fill abundantly
with the stuffing, brown them for a further 5-6 minutes, remove from grill
and serve them as a main dish or as a side dish (smaller portions, 1 per
person) with roast meats (excellent with Steak Florentine). |
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