54
MY
ROUSES
EVERYDAY
MAY | JUNE 2014
the
Chef
issue
Meet the Chef —
Andrea Consoli
Restaurant:
Le Fate, Trastevere, Italy
I REMEMBER MY GRANDMA COOKING DELICIOUS FOOD FOR OUR
FAMILY REUNION.
I was in the kitchen with her smelling all of those divine
smells and maybe thinking, one day I’ll be able to make it, too. By 18, I was in a
professional kitchen. I was young, and not up to it, but I made it through the first
night and walked home exhausted, but so happy that I would do it again and again!
MY FAVORITE INGREDIENTS ARE DEFINITELY FLOUR, EGGS AND
TOMATOES.
You can do pretty much everything that belongs to Italian food and
the Mediterranean diet with them. And if you can throw in also a couple of basil
leaves, then it’s even better and tastier.
FRESH, LOCAL AND SEASONAL
The more you know the territory you live in,
the better the flavor of your recipes will be.
AT HOME I EAT EVERYTHING
from simple and comfy recipes, to more
elaborated dishes and complicated ones. It depends on my mood, how much time I
have available, and how hungry my wife and I are that night!
I HOPE I CAN FLY OUT AND VISIT YOU SOON
but now I have a baby
bundle coming within the next week or so, so I better stay home and I will hopefully
come and visit you ASAP!
EVEN THOUGH I NEED TOWAKE UP EARLIER
in the morning, or cook until
late at night, I will feed my kids with some good homemade food and develop a
good sense of appetite in them!
Carciofi alla Romana
Roman Style Artichokes
by Chef Andrea Consoli
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
4 whole artichokes (including the stem)
1
tablespoon parsley leaves
1
lemon
1
clove of garlic
5
tablespoons extra virgin Olive Oil
2
glasses lukewarm water
Salt & pepper
HOW TO PREP
Clean your artichokes starting with tearing off the outer leaves.
As soon as the bottom of the leaves begin to turn into a brighter
color, stop pulling the leaves off, then you are ready to start
peeling the stem, all the way through from the top to the collar/
base of the artichoke, leaving as much of the stem as possible.
Immediately rub the artichoke with lemon to avoid a color
change. To carve the heart, you need a pairing or serrated knife.
You need to hold the knife 45° to the stem (not perpendicular to
it!), making sure you only use the knife edge. Start carving where
the brighter part of the leaves ends and the purple starts. Cut
one layer at a time always moving up on a spiral. After rub with
lemon. Once carved, leave them all in a bowl of water with lemon
until you are ready to stuff them inside.
Stuff the artichokes with finely chopped parsley, a little chopped
garlic (don’t forget to clean the garlic first from the soul or heart
of it, as it’s the heavy part to digest), and salt and pepper.
In a deep skillet leave the artichokes down (stem up) - making
sure that your skillet/pot is just large enough to contain them
- then pour extra virgin olive oil and let fry the bottom until
browned and seared. Then add the water until it reaches half way
up the artichoke. Cover the skillet/pot with a lid and let it cook
until tender (the amount of time really depends on the type and
size of artichokes; usually 20-25 minutes). As soon as the stem is
soft, you are able to plate them and serve warm.
RECIPE,
try me!
