Carciofi alla Giudia is a Roman Jewish dish of whole artichokes deep-fried twice until they bloom open like sunflowers with crispy leaves and a tender heart. The key to success is using the right variety—Cimarolo, Romanesco, or Mammole—and mastering the two-stage frying process at 150°C then 180°C.
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Clean and trim the artichokes (full instructions in Silvia's book pages 190-191). Squeeze lemon juice into a bowl of water and place the prepped artichokes in there.
When they are all prepared, drain, shaking off as much liquid as possible, and pat dry. Gently tap each flower, stem up, to loosely open the centre where the petals meet. Smear a little salt and pepper wherever you can reach inside, and around the outside.
Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 150°C or fill a large, deep, heavy-based saucepan or casserole with oil to a depth of 4–5cm and warm over a medium heat until hot. (If you don't have a thermometer, test the oil is hot enough by dropping in a cube of bread: it should float not sink and sizzle immediately.)
Place the artichokes in the oil, stem up, and fry at 150°C for 15–20 minutes, turning them occasionally, until cooked through and the leaves begin to crisp up.
Remove them and drain on kitchen paper, then increase the heat of the oil to 180°C.
Using a fork or tongs, hold each artichoke by the stem and gently press the flower head against a flat surface to open it up further into a flower shape.
Return them to the hot oil, flower-side down, and fry for another 3–5 minutes until golden and crispy.
Drain on kitchen paper, season with salt, and serve immediately.
Carciofi alla giudia are best eaten immediately. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days and reheated in a 180°C oven for 5 minutes to restore crispness, but texture and flavor are optimal when freshly fried.
deep-fat fryer or large deep heavy-based saucepan · thermometer (recommended) · fork or tongs for holding artichokes during second fry
Use Cimarolo, Romanesco, or Mammole varieties. These smaller, rounder artichokes are ideal because they fry evenly and open into a proper flower shape.
The first fry at 150°C for 15–20 minutes cooks the artichoke through and begins crisping the leaves. The second fry at 180°C for 3–5 minutes deepens the golden color and achieves maximum crispness.
Drop a cube of bread into the oil. If it floats and sizzles immediately, the oil is ready. For the first fry, it should sizzle gently; for the second, more vigorously.
Yes. Clean and trim them, then soak in lemon water. Pat dry and season just before frying. Do not fry ahead; they are best served immediately while still crispy.
Use olive oil or sunflower oil. Olive oil adds traditional flavor; sunflower oil has a higher smoke point and is neutral.
