THE FRUGAL GOURMET CANADIANS ARE smalii- time artichoke eaters. In Rome everyone eats at least 175 artichokes a year. The Roman markets are filled with them dur- ing the height of the season, and you will see from the following recipes that the celebration of this vegetable is a grand feast. The Greeks enjoy the artichoke in several ways and I was always surprised to sce that the markets had this vegetable in its freshest form possible. If our markets did a better job of getting artichokes while they are still fresh I am sure we would consume more. You will want to remember that you should never cook artichokes in aluminum or iron; the metal will cause them to discolor. Use Stainless steel or glass. HINT: Cleaning an artichoke Roman styie is simple. Break off the first two or three rows of the lower outer leaves. Using a paring knife, cut off the top half of the remaining leaves, Do this by holding the artichoke on its side, cutting down on an angle away from the stem. Turn the choke as you cut until the purple thistle centre is expos- ed. Using a grapefruit spoon, remove the purple centre, expos- ing the meaty artichoke bottom. Cut off the stem, leaving about aninch. Trim off the teugh exte- tior skin of the stem. Rub the whole cheke with fresh lemon juice to prevent discoloring. tic! ARTICHOKES, JEWISH STYLE The first time 1 tasted this dish was at a restaurant called Trat- toria Da Giggetto in the Roman Jewish ghetto. The recipe itself is not complex, though you will find slight variations on the dish. The home version can be made this way, and it is very good in- deed. 6 artichokes, cleaned Roman style (see above) Olive oi} for deep-frying (several cups will be necessary — buy a brand that comes in a large con- tainer. It need not Se an expensive quality) 1 lemon Salt to taste In a heavy pot or wok heat the oil to 375°F. Deep-fry the ar- tichokes two or three at a time for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the gil and set aside. Restore the temperature of the oil and fry the chokes a second time until nicely browned, another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Season with a squeeze of lemon and a bit of salt to taste. ARTICHOKES SAUTEED IN WINE (serves 4-6 as a vegetable course} This is the simplest of cooking methods, though you will have to catch on to how easily a cheke can be cleaned. The flavor of this dish is ciean and pure, and typical of the artichoke season in Rome. 6 artichokes, cleaned Roman style Lemon juice 3 tablespoons olive oil \ 3 cioves garlic, pecled and crushed 1 cup dry white wine Sait and pepper to taste Cut the cleaned artichokes in half lengthwise. With the flat side down, slice the halves into “4-inch Pieces. Place in a bowl and toss with lemon juice to prevent discoloring. Heat a large frying pan and add the oi! and garlic. Saute for just a moment, then add the artichoke slices. Saute until very lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, cover and sim- mez until tender, about 15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. ARTICHOKES, CHILLED, ROMAN STYLE {serves 6. as a first course) I saw artichokes cooked in this fashion all over Rome and I ate them every chance ! got. The iokes, methods the Romans have thought up for cooking artichokes are just amazing, as is their affection for this blessed thistle. 6 artichokes, cleaned Roman style 2 tablespoons olive oi] for cooking i cup water DRESSING: % cup olive oil Y tablespoon whole oregano, crushed Y% teaspoon salt Juice of f fresh lemon Freshly ground black pepper io taste lace the cleaned artichokes up- side-down in a stove-top covered casserole. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and about 1! cup of water. Cover and bring to a s'm- mer. Cook for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the chokes are tender. Chill, then pour the dress- ing over the dish. Serve with the stems upright just as they were cooked. STUFFED ARTICHOKES (serves 6 as a first course) ‘This recipe is from the Er Moc- coletto Restaurant near the Amer- ican Embassy in Rome. You can have a wonderful meal there. 6 artichokes, cleaned Koman style 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 2 cloves garlic, crushed Satt and freshly ground black pepper to taste ¥: cup olive oil l cup water Cut the stems from the bottoms of the cleaned artichokes so they will sit upright in a stove-top cas- serole or ‘‘sauteuse.”” Mix mint, parsley and garlic, along with the salt and pepper to taste, with half the olive oii. Place the remaining oil in the casserole and arrange the artichokes. Rub the leaves of each ar- tichoke with the herb mixture. Cook over a fow flame for a few minutes. Add the water and cover. Wednesday, June 10, 1982 - North Shore News ~ 51 oman-style Simmer until tender, about 4° to 50 minutes. ARTICHOXES WITH HAM ON TOAST This elegant bit was served to us in the midst of a Roman garden in a restaurant not far from the great ruins of the old market. [t is just lovely and a perfect dish for a light lunch. Toasted bread slice Tomato sauce Ham slice, boiled Artichokes Sauteed in Wine (reci- pe below), chopped or sliced very thin i slice. cozzarella or Swiss cheese Romano cheese for garnish Put 2 bit of the tomato sauce on the toast. Add the ham slice and cover with the chopped or sliced artichokes. Top with the sliced cheese, then the grated cheese. Lightly broil . until browned. barely RS photo Mike Wakeftald PARK RACYAL'S Woodward's Food Floor closes permanently this Saturday - Canada Safeway intends to relocate stait to other Safeway stores. A London Drugs outlet is expected to open on the eorth mail site in November. Potential preserving problems with jam and jelly inquisitive Cook Sve WILSON ANNE GARDINER A FRIEND says she makes her jam according to Mur- phy’s Law — *‘if something can go wrong, it will.” Jam and jelly making require a perfect balance between pectin, acid and sugar. And when you're dealing with something as im- precise as nature, soiactimes things don’t click as they should. Let's take a luok at some potential preserving problems — and their solutions. @ Jam not setting: [ice cream sauce is nice to have on hand, but... Be aware that fruits contain different amounts of pectin, the carbohydrate with gelling power, necded to sct preserves. Use fruits that are low in pectin (cherries, apricots, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, thubarb and pears) in combination with fruits high in pectin fred and black currants, pluins, goosebcrries, tart apples, citrus fruits, crab-apples, quince cranberries, raspberries, loganber- ries, blackberries and tart grapes). Or supplement low-pectin fruits with commercial pectin. Very ripe fruit is sweet and fla- vorful, but it’s lower in pectin than barely ripe fruit. Use a com- bination of both, or boost pectin levels in very ripe fruit with com- mercial pectin. Be cautious about doubling rec- ipes. Large amounts of fruit will not ‘boil down" as quickly to jam consistency. Supplement fruits low in acid with lemcn juice, since acid helps extract pectin from fruit tissues. If your fruit isn’t as sour as a tart apple, add a tablespoon (15 mL} of lemon juice to one cup (250 mL) of fruit. @ Strawberry preserves changing from vibrant red to dull brown: Store preserves in a cool, dark place to keep red pigments unaltered. Strawberries, which are low in acid, benefit from added lemon juice, which keep reds vibrant. Look for strawberry reci- pes which call for fittle cooking, or try freezer jam which holds coiors well. @ Floating fruit; Cool the jam for five minutes while stirring be- fore pouring into jars. As the temperature lowers, the jan is closer to setting and fruit is more likely to stay suspended. @ Mould: Remember that sugar in jams acts as a preservative, so use the exact amount specified in your recipe, Jams and jellies require a min- imum sugar concentration of 60% in order te dehydrate microorgan- isms and effectively prevent spoilage. Jars must be sterilized and once opened, all jams and jellies are best kept refrigerated. @ Weeping: A recipe that’s too high in acid will result in weeping or oozing liquid. A wax seai that isn’t tight weeps too. And if the jam is extremely hot when sealed, condensation may occur between the jam and the wax. @ Help! No time to make the jam: Many fruits can be frozen and made into jam during the fall or winter. Blueberries, red and black currants, rhubarb and raspberries all freeze well. Since fruits tend to collapse on thawing, measure the exact quantities need- ed and label before freezing. Thaw the fruit until just a few ice crystals remain, then proceed as normal. There may be little comfort in Murphy’s Law. But occasionally, a little black humor helps.