Istrian Steamed Artichokes
The Istrian artichoke flowers and bears fruit in May, it is purple-green in color, slightly smaller than the usual artichoke, but tastier, which is why it is valued by gourmets.
Artichokes are believed to have come to Slovenian Istria from the Republic of Venice in the 15th century. They appear in a variety of recipes ranging from salads to meat sauces, pastas and pizza. They can also be pickled.
Every year in late May a festival called Artichoke days (Dnevi artičok) takes place in Strunjan and involves an artichoke marketplace, lectures about the significance of artichokes and their culinary uses, guided tours of artichoke plantations and of course, tastings of various artichoke dishes.
Recipe
1 kg artichokes
100 g olive oil
1 bunch parsley
4 garlic cloves
lemon juice of 1 lemon
salt, pepper to taste
polenta
Instructions:
Prepare the artichokes: wash them with water mixed with lemon juice, cut away the stem and then slice off the top of the artichoke. Cut off the tips of the leaves.
- Add a couple centimeters of water to a large pot and insert a steaming basket.
- Put the artichokes on top of the steaming basket and cover the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Steam the artichokes for about 30 minutes until the outer leaves can be pulled off easily. Add water a little at a time if the water level gets too low (to prevent burning).
- Mince the garlic, finely chop the parsley and mix everything with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Fill the artichokes with the garlic mixture. Serve with warm polenta.
- To eat, pull off a leaf and scrape the meat off the tender end with your teeth. Remove the prickly purple leaves surrounding the center of the artichoke. Then use a spoon to scrape away the thistle fuzz covering the heart (the choke) and finally, enjoy the heart.