Well, Happy New Year to all! Even if this is not your "official" year, we have in fact started 2017, with more uncertainty than Annalena remembers in her span here. So, we move on, careful, guarded, and hopeful. Hopeful is important ragazzi. Don't give it up.
You know, Annalena can recall periods in her life when she really thought that the world was hopeless. No, she did not fear nuclear annihilation, but with rocks being thrown at her, people spitting at her, being called FAG, seeing the homeless population mount up... things were pretty hopeless - and it wasn't that long ago in the scheme of things. But it got better. So, for her readers who may be a little younger, hold onto yourselves, and your friends, and wait it out. It WILL pass, but do not be passive.
During that time, Annalena's minister gave a sermon, that Annalena will always remember. It had to do with salvation, faith, and, not to exploit a cliche', "finding your bliss," because we ARE all looking for bliss in some way or another. Her minister used a wonderful simile " looking for faith is like preparing vegetables. ESPECIALLY artichokes." She went on to say "because preparing vegetables, especially artichokes, is a LOT of work, and you have to throw away a LOT. But then you get to the good stuff. And it's worth it. ESPECIALLY with artichokes."
That sermon was over 30 years ago. Annalena still remembers it. She wonders if her minister does. But keep that in mind, because we're going to make a dish today that takes a bit of work and creates a lot of trash along the way. It's worth it.
Artichoke fritters are an interesting, tasty item. Annalena has made them twice. She supposes that there are easier ways to get to the end (like buying frozen artichoke hearts), but do it all the way, at least once. Get some respect for the cooking process. This will be fun. Come on, let's go!
First, get yourself three very nice sized artichokes, with a good bit of stem at the end:
Now, separately, take some good bread. Don't use the soft white stuff. If you have a loaf that is getting a bit stale, this is perfect. Cut yourself a cup and a half of small cubes, and then mix it with either a half cup of stock or water, etc. Annalena has done it both ways (and however you interpret that, it is true):
We'll come back to that bread, but now, we prepare the artichokes. First, start pulling off the outer leaves. You want to get ALL THE WAY DOWN to the soft pale green and white ones. Err on the side of removing too many rather than too little. Ultimately, it won't matter much, but further down the road, it makes your life easier:
Now, while you can't see them in the picture, there are pointy ends to the artichokes. Cut those off. And peel away the tough stemmy part of the flower buds (that's what artichokes are, loves). Now, cut them in half, lengthwise:
More cleaning! See those purple centers? Gonna get ride of them. If you have a softer touch, you can rip them out with your fingers, but a big spoon works better:
Wanna see our trash?
Yes, ragazzi, the road to faith and bliss is not easy. But now we start cooking. Put those halved artichokes into about an inch of boiling salted water, and let them cook for 15 minutes. After that, pull em out and let them cool:
Not looking promising, huh? Don't worry, we're going to be ok. When they've cooled, pick them up, over a sink, and squeeze out the liquid, then do a rough chop. At this point, you'll know if you went further enough into the artichoke, because if your knife meets resistance, that is a piece of artichoke you do not want. When you're finished with your rough chop:
Now move all of the artichokes into the bowl with the soaked bread. Stir this around, add some salt and pepper, maybe a bit of lemon peel, etc. Season as you like. Add one lage egg. You are going to get a "moosh" like this:
What you want to do next, is add half a cup of bread crumbs. This is going to give you a very soppy mix, not unlike loose oatmeal. If you are feeling insecure, add some more breadcrumbs, but keep in mind that a looser mix makes a fritter with a stronger artichoke taste.
You will now need about 1/2 cup of vegetable oil here. You can combine olive and vegetable if you like. when it's hot, spoon mounds of this batter into the oil, and lower the heat. You'll be able to see the things frying up brown on the side in the oil. Flip them, and fry the other side. It will take you 3-4 minutes in all for each batch. Try not to overcrowd your pan: four at a time is plenty. Move them to paper towels to drain, and then:
OH BOY are these good! You may want some lemon flavored mayonnaise to go with them. Annalena just adds salt and swalows them down.
You know, when Annalena was just a little one, she HATED artichokes. Would not eat them. Or eggplant. Or asparagus. And her Nana looked at her, pointed, and hurled 'ASHPETT" (her dialect for "aspetta: WAIT" She continued "one day, they will be your favorites, and you won't be able to get enough of them.
As always, Nana was right. Annalena could eat artichokes, asparagus, and eggplant, every single day.
So, ragazzi, learn how to make these. Realize that finding your way to your spiritual center will take work: maybe more than you bargained for. But remember the parable of the artichokes.
And whether you're looking for that center or not, make these fritters. You will NOT regret the effort.
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