Italian Artichoke & Potato Stew | Stufato di Carciofi e Patate Recipe

This is a very simple stew that’s commonly found in southern Italy, particularly in Sicily and Calabria. While similar in seasoning to other artichoke recipes, such as Carciofi alla Romana, this dish takes on a whole new level of deliciousness because of the potatoes which soak up an enormous amount of artichoke flavor.

While very easy to cook, this recipe comes with a catch that can make it very difficult for many of our readers to replicate it at home…

The Problem with Artichokes

Most Italian artichoke recipes depend upon being able to eat pretty much the entire thing: heart, petals, and stem. Depending on where you live, you might only have access to artichokes that are much tougher than what we can find in Italy. In these cases, one normally scrapes some meat off the petals, discarding the rest.

While we hate to say it, we recommend avoiding Italian artichoke recipes unless you have access to artichokes that are very fresh and tender and can be eaten whole.

How to Clean and Trim Artichokes for Stewing

Ideally, you want to find artichokes that still have a significant amount of stem attached (even better if they have leaves as well). Fill a large bowl with water and squeeze in 1 or 2 lemons. We recommend wearing plastic gloves to avoid staining your hands while handling the artichokes.

If you have leaves, pull these off the artichoke stems. Trim and discard the leafy parts from their thin stems. Cut the leaf stems into roughly 3 inch sections and place in the lemon water.

Cut the stems off of the artichokes, keeping a few inches of the stems attached to the heads. Peel the tough skin of the stems with a paring knife, slice the stems in two lengthwise, cut them into roughly 3 inch sections, and place in the lemon water.

Pull off and remove the tough, outer petals of the artichoke head to expose the more tender petals beneath. You can identify the tough petals from the tender by their color: the former will be green (or sometimes more purple) and the latter will be a much lighter yellow. Peel off enough of the petals until the tender color reaches about ⅔ up from the stem base. Slice the top of the artichoke head off to remove the tough (green) top of the petals.

With a paring knife, peel the skin of the attached stem off, along with the rough part where the petals you trimmed off were attached.

Cut each artichoke in quarters. A fresh artichoke should have very little, if any, hairy choke inside the heart to remove. If your artichokes do have some, once you quarter them you can easily access and scoop out the choke with a spoon.

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Stufato di Carciofi e Patate Recipe

Makes: 4 servings

Cook Time: 1 hour

For this recipe, you will need:

• 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 milliliters) extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
  
• 4 artichokes plus stems, trimmed and quartered (see above)
  
• 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into roughly 2 inch chunks
  
• About 3 tablespoons (12 grams) chopped fresh parsley
  
• Salt
  
• Fresh black pepper
  

In a medium pot, add the olive oil, garlic, artichokes (along with the stems), potatoes, and parsley. Season generously with salt and fresh black pepper. Add 1 ½ cups (360 milliliters) water and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.

Cook, covered, until the artichokes are tender enough that you can easily insert a butter knife into the base of the stem—about 45 minutes depending on how tough the artichokes are. As the stew nears completion, taste and adjust salt as necessary.

Serve warm.

Buon appetito!