The FrangloSaxon Cooks

Louisiana Cuisines

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Basics
  • Tripping & Talking
  • Lagniappe
  • Reviews & Recommendations
  • Privacy Policy

Sicilian Citrus Artichokes

June 15, 2015 by Carine Clary 4 Comments

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERASummertime! Time to give voice to your inner Sicilian. And what is he asking for? Perhaps a fresh steamed artichoke anointed with a golden sauce made of olive oil, orange, tangerine and lemon.

So imagine you’re dining al fresco in a seaside trattoria in Palermo watching the fishermen rolling up their nets in the setting sun. The sail boats are bobbing on the white caps and you’re enjoying a glass of chilled Frascati while pretending to read your copy of Il Gattopardo in the absence of a badly needed dictionary. Everything is perfect until the waiter, noticing your reading material, begins a conversation in which you are completely unable to participate.

But not to worry! He has arrived bearing your ‘Carciofi ai Succhi.’ You spare yourself further humiliation by grabbing the dish and forthwith begin gobbling leaves and dribbling sauce and damn if it isn’t good! So good you breach protocol and stick your finger in the sauce boat and slurp it right off (the sauce not your finger although it’s a close thing). Yes, it is that good! The tang of the capers and anchovies with the sweetness of the citrus are all swirling in an unctuous suspension of olive oil. You even manage to soak up the dregs with your bread.

You’d think something this tasty would require time and effort but in fact it requires little of either. You may use small artichokes (pictured below) or larger ones and you can use whatever proportion of orange to tangerine you prefer.


OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe smaller specimens were intended for the final photographs but they all got eaten (!) and thus the monster mother of artichokes below got her shot at immortality. And yeah, she tasted good too.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERASo to recap the recipe directions below you just combine all the ingredients for the sauce in the pot, trim the stems a bit and let them slow boil to tenderness. Do it in batches if need be and if you need a little extra water feel free to add it in order to bring the level close to the top. When the chokes are done remove them to a platter, turn up the heat and let the sauce boil down to your preferred degree of thickness. I usually get a full cup out of this recipe using the proportions of liquid as outlined in the recipe below. When it’s done I let it cool off and check the flavor. Usually it wants a little salt and sugar or honey and it’s good to go.

You may have some sauce left over and you’ll find that it’s good with seafood. Use it on a pan fried or grilled filet of fish or do what I did below. Get some sweet little Key West pinks, sauté them in butter and garlic and use the sauce for dipping.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERASo there you have it. Sicilian style artichokes ready for dipping in the essence of citrus and the sea.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Print
Sicilian Citrus Artichokes
Author: Carine Clary
Cuisine: Italian
 
Ingredients
  • 6 medium artichokes
  • 3 medium onions sliced thin
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1 cup orange/ tangerine juice
  • juice from 1 lemon
  • ¼ cup white wine vinegar (or vermouth)
  • 2 cups water
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • 4 anchovy filets (or 3 tablespoons Red Boat fish sauce)
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
  1. Place the sliced onions in the bottom of a large dutch oven and put the artichokes on top of them. If the artichokes don't all fit in your pot, boil them in batches using the same liquid.
  2. Combine all the liquids plus the salt and cook over a low boil for 30 minutes. Check for doneness by removing on and piercing the base with a knife. It should be fairly soft.
  3. Remove artichokes and boil down the sauce with the capers and anchovies till thick.
  4. You should end up with 1 cup of sauce. Taste it and adjust seasonings. This is where I usually add some salt and/or some sugar. Then strain the sauce and add more capers if you want them.
  5. Spoon some of the sauce over the artichokes and save some for the side.
  6. Dust with a bit of orange zest if you have it.
Notes
If you are using small artichokes like the ones pictured, double the number.
Cooking time for small artichokes will be about 20 minutes, for medium about 30, and for the big ones up to 45 minutes.
3.3.3077

 

Filed Under: Appetizers, Fourth of July, Italian, Sauces, Vegetables

« Creole Crab Cakes
Creole Pot Roast »

Comments

  1. Cornelius Foder says

    February 13, 2016 at 2:38 pm

    This was such a awesome read, thank you so much for authoring it.

    Reply
    • Carine Clary says

      February 15, 2016 at 10:53 pm

      Thanks Cornelius! Hope the recipe reminds you of Sicily.

      Reply
  2. charlotte says

    October 11, 2016 at 9:23 pm

    This is to die for . . . I used the sauce on shrimp too as recommended and it couldn’t be better . . . we added a nice tossed salad with some fruit and berries and Viola! Thanks so much for posting this amazing recipe!

    Reply
    • Carine Clary says

      October 11, 2016 at 11:31 pm

      It is good isn’t it!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe:  

Personal Picks

  • Chicken Clemenceau
  • Mussolini Sandwich
  • Corn off the Cob Cakes
  • Chicken Mull
  • Salted Steens Ice Cream

Follow Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Blog Archive

  • 2018 (12)
  • 2017 (15)
  • 2016 (21)
  • 2015 (24)
  • 2014 (29)

Search the FrangloSaxon

Search by Tradition

  • Cajun
  • Creole
  • Croatian
  • German
  • Greek
  • Italian
  • Southern
  • Vietnamese
  • African

Search by Holiday

  • New Year's
  • Tet
  • Revillon
  • Mardi Gras
  • St. Joseph's Day
  • Fourth of July
  • Bastille Day
  • Thanksgiving
  • Christmas

Links I Like

  • The Homesick Texan
  • Acadiana Table
  • Southern Souffle
  • Savory Spices
  • Well Being Secrets
  • Deep South Dish

Popular Posts

Back in pre World War II days it was actually possible to find restaurants in New Orleans which served something called Mussolini sandwiches. Say what?? It is true and I have the ad to prove it. I thought it would be fun to recreate but needless to say there is no record anywhere that I… 

Read More »

Caramelized Lemongrass Shrimp

I don’t want to sound like a cranky old diner waitress here – but to fully appreciate this recipe there should be no substitutions. Caramelized Lemongrass Shrimp is a relatively simple stir fry but the full rich flavor comes from the interplay of the flavorings and the fats. Specifically, the fat in the shrimp heads and the… 

Read More »

Corn Pancakes

Corn off the cob cakes are for when you don’t know whether you want pancakes or cornbread. This way you get both. And they can be eaten sweet or dressed with pulled pork or cold slaw or you can put both kinds on the same plate. This version has no cornmeal, but two kinds of… 

Read More »

Chicken Mull

Chicken Mull is the old name for Stewed Chicken in milk. It’s also sometimes called Jallop.  This is a cold weather, church supper dish that has spread from its Georgia Carolina origins and now pops up in a few other spots. If you want your kids to come home on their college breaks, make sure… 

Read More »

I’m posting about a week after the usual King Cake cutoff date, but there is a good reason. And it’s not because the little King Cake fairy below took so long to get beautiful for her close up! No plastic baby here. She’s a french fève so it’s worth the wait since it looks like… 

Read More »

Sicilian Citrus Artichokes

Summertime! Time to give voice to your inner Sicilian. And what is he asking for? Perhaps a fresh steamed artichoke anointed with a golden sauce made of olive oil, orange, tangerine and lemon. So imagine you’re dining al fresco in a seaside trattoria in Palermo watching the fishermen rolling up their nets in the setting sun…. 

Read More »

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Basics
  • Tripping & Talking
  • Lagniappe
  • Reviews & Recommendations
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2019 · Foodie Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress