Artichokes in Jewish and Roman style

1. Wash the artichokes and remove the outer leaves. Use a sharp knife to cut off the upper crown of the leaves, preferably where the leaf colour changes from green to a yellowish colour. Cut a lemon in half and rub the artichoke at the places where you cut it with the lemon. Otherwise the artichokes would turn brown. Cut off the stems and peel them. Squeeze two lemons and mix the juice with 2l water. Soak the artichokes and stems for 10 minutes in this mixture, possibly with weighing them down with a plate. Then dab dry. An old custom requires that you take the artichokes in your hand and then roll them once around the edge of the table. This should loosen the fibres above the delicate floor and break them up during cooking, creating a small hollow. Using a lemon squeezer works just as well. With cimaroli, this step is not necessary. 2. Season the hollow with pepper and salt. Fry the artichokes (often with stalks) for about 10 minutes in a pan with plenty of olive oil. The oil must not get too hot and smoke. Prick the artichoke repeatedly with a wooden skewer to check if it is soft. Drain the oil. Open the leaves so that the artichoke looks like a rose. Just before serving, sauté for another 1 minute. These artichokes are often eaten as a starter. Pluck off leaf after leaf with your hand. Have lemon water and a cloth at the ready to clean oily fingers. 3. Fill the hollow with a mixture of chopped parsley, mint, garlic, salt and pepper. Press the filling down firmly. Pour ½ glass of water and ¼ glass of oil into a tall pan. Then add the artichokes, upside down, one close to the other, in the pan. Cover and let them simmer for about 45 minutes. This artichoke dish is served in Italy both as antipasti and as a side dish with meat dishes.