|
|
|
Written by Robert Tanner, asap
|
|
Monday, 30 April 2007 |
|
|
|
|
Everyone’s got their own moment when spring is finally, truly here. The morning they leave their coat at home. Baseball. The buds on the trees.
For me, it’s the arrival of the first artichokes of the season. Not just any artichokes. The small, delicate baby artichokes. And not those only, but the hard-to-find, hard-to-prepare — and, when made right, downright glorious — deep-fried artichoke.
The proper name is carciofi alla guidea, a dish born in the Jewish ghetto of Rome where the long-stemmed artichokes of Italy are fried in hot oil and served simple and spectacular, the leaves opened up from a bud to a flower and an intense burst of flavor, grassy and nutty, delicate and powerful all at once.
For years I’d been planning a thorough exploration of the restaurants in New York, looking for a kitchen that could turn out the artichokes like I remembered them. Every spring, I somehow never found the time, at best chancing upon the occasional plate that always fell short.
This year would be different.
The search turned out to be nearly as challenging as the recipe that scared me off trying the dish at home (short version: expect hot oil all across your stove).
I crisscrossed the Web. Scoured restaurant reviews. Checked menus. Called a dozen restaurants that specialize in Italian food or the freshest of the fresh markets.
Most said their cooks only offered the artichokes as a special when the produce looked right at the market that morning.
One restaurant said they’d had it the week before, but not this week. They offered to call me the next day it would be served. (I’m still waiting).
Three said they’d have them that day. But the journey seemed hexed when, after being seated at the first, a huge and opulent establishment, the menu didn’t include the carciofi. Where were they?
Only a special — and they weren’t ready, the cook wouldn’t rush them out, sorry.
The next place turned it all around. The artichokes arrived three to a plate, nothing but lemon and salt alongside. The flowers came out brown and crisp from the hot oil, the heart and the stem fragrant and tender.
The artichokes were a bit larger than I remembered, leaving the center of the hearts a touch soggy. But honestly, that’s just quibbling.
I was happy, eating one true taste of spring: a thorny thistle turned tender green nugget.
The third restaurant didn’t live up to my hopes. The artichokes were larger so they cooked them in quarters, not whole. There were hardly any crispy leaves. There was a nice touch of mint, echoing another much-praised (and also Roman) style of braised, whole artichokes.
It was delicious. But it didn’t rise to the heights of the carciofi alla giudea.
I’ve still got a few weeks of spring. The search goes on.
———
asap columnist Robert Tanner has eaten his way around the world as a national writer for The Associated Press. Hear him introduce himself here: http://tinyurl.com/29zxud | Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. |
|
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
| |
|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
|
|
