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Artichokes are fantastic vegetables. They are around for over eight months a year, from October to June and some species flower several times a year. It is very common in the Mediterranean and Italy is the largest producer in the world, with over 90 varieties. A piece of trivia: the artichoke belongs to the Compositae family and therefore is a close relative of both the thistle (who would have thought?) and of the much more romantic daisy!

Some weeks ago I proposed here a first course made with artichokes. The recipe I propose here below is prepared without meat, but it is as hearty and tasty as the more traditional stuffed artichokes.

Ingredients, serves 6

Artichokes: 6

Garlic: 1 clove, finely chopped

Pecorino Romano cheese: 50 g grated

Parsley: 1 bunch, finely chopped

Breadcrumbs: 4 tablespoons

Eggs: 2

Extra-virgin olive oil: as needed

Water: 2 glasses

Salt: as needed

Black pepper: as needed

Preparation

Remove the tougher leaves of the artichokes and cut the tips. Use a small knife to remove some of the heart, especially the hairy part and form a small cup to accommodate the filling.

Cut the artichokes at the base so that they are standing up, but keep about 5 cm of the stem. Peel it, chop it and to add it to the stuffing.

Prepare the filling with beaten eggs, garlic and chopped parsley, the grated Pecorino Romano cheese, the stems of the artichokes and finally a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Mix well and then stuff the artichokes with the filling.

Arrange the artichokes filled with the base resting on the bottom in an oiled pot. Pour some oil directly on the artichokes as well.

As soon as the oil starts to sizzle, add 2 glasses of water. Cover with a lid and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, making sure that the broth formed by the artichokes while cooking does not evaporate completely.

Serve the artichokes 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.