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On market the stalls, among autumn and winter vegetables artichokes, sold in beautiful bunches and available in many varieties, certainly stand out. Namely, Sardinian artichokes have a tender flesh that lends itself to a number of ways of preparing it: raw with fresh seasonal vegetables served with an olive oil dip (it's great with freshly pressed olive oil!), in soups, to warm up and detoxify with winter on our doorstep or stewed and stuffed with a tasty bread dough.

The recipe I propose here below draws on the Sardinian tradition and brings out autumnal artichokes in their full glory, both for its healthy and gastronomic properties.

This is a first course where I have used “malloreddus”, an ancient variety of durum wheat semolina of Sardinian origin. In Sardinia malloreddus are present during all the most important occasions, in festivals and at weddings. In Sardinian the word "malloreddu" means “bull", so malloreddus means “calves”.

Ingredients, serves 6

Sardinian artichokes: 4

Pine kernels: 50 g

Garlic: 2 cloves

Savoury ricotta: 100 g

“Malloreddus” pasta: 500 g

Lemon: 1

Salt: as needed

Extra-virgin olive oil: as needed

Summer savoury: 1 branch

Chilli: to taste

Preparation

Peel and cut the artichokes and put them to soak in cold water with half a lemon to ensure their colour is bright.

Peel the garlic and chop finely. Heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic, chilli and pine kernels. Toast slightly.

Add the artichokes, add salt and mix well. Cook over low heat. If necessary, pour a half glass of water and cook gently. When the artichokes have softened, add the leaves of summer savoury and finish cooking.

Cook the malloreddus in salted water according to the times reported on the packaging. Drain the pasta and add it to the artichoke sauce.

Before serving, cut the ricotta into slivers and place it over the pasta with a drizzle of raw olive oil.

Orsa Pellion di Persano

Born in Piedmont, Orsa moved to Tuscany when she was 20. She graduated from the University of Siena with a research dissertation on women and the domestic rituals of a small village in Somalia.

She then won a grant and moved to the UK to attend a post-graduate course in “Nutrition and health anthropology”.

The topic of food, which, up until then, was closely associated with her interest in feminist issues and cultural anthropology, soon became crucial: not just for her academic training, but for her own “survival” too. Indeed, to earn something extra, an Italian friend invited her to cook lunches and banquets together with classic Italian menus. One evening, Pink Floyd's singer called to ask them to prepare a dinner for his birthday. Five stuffed guinea-fowls were cooked for the occasion and left all the guests speechless. 

Once she moved back to Italy, she got back in touch with the University of Siena and started her doctorate in “Anthropology and the history of nutrition”. She studied cookery books with traditional peasant food, interviewed housewives while they baked bread in large wood-fired ovens, women who fried rice fritters for Mardi Gras, discovered the secrets to making 'ribollita' and the art of cooking food over a flame.

After years and years of study, today Orsa runs the wonderful Agriturismo Borgo Personatina together with her cousin, Fiore Bocca. This is where she holds cooking classes for tourists and those travelling through the Chianti area.

Rather than classes, these are actual cultural events, moments devoted to flavour and knowledge that convey the extent and richness of cooking worlds.

Flavour is the origin of knowledge (the Italian word for knowledge is 'sapere' and in Latin 'saper' means something that 'has a flavour'). To get to know a culture, a country and its people the best thing you can do is to taste its food, savour its dishes and discover its tastes. As someone once said, cooking is a delicate and friendly art: it goes beyond language barriers, creates bonds between populations and warms the heart.

All this is at the core of Orsa's cooking classes. By being with her in the kitchen and plunging your hands in her mixes, you will discover the knowledge and flavour of a great cultural heritage.