I’m a little ashamed to admit this, but when I first went to Rome while doing the obligatory backpacking through Europe thing in college, I had no idea there was a Roman Jewish population, let alone an entire neighborhood, and a long history of Jews in Italy broadly.
But upon finding out this widely known piece of information, everything clicked inside my body. This affinity I had for Italy, Italian culture, and of course Italian food that was in me, had a deep connection with my own lineage that dates all the way back to the Second Century BC.
The Quartiere Ebraico, aka the Hebrew Quarter, aka the Roman Jewish Ghetto, was first established in the 16th Century by Pope Paul IV, forcing the Jewish community into tight quarters, stripping them of rights, and imposing harsh restrictions and curfews.
Ghettos are never a good thing, but there can be some silver linings. They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and the Jews of Rome, while being isolated and restricted, started to develop and invent their own unique Italian cuisine.
Today, throughout Rome, you might be amazed at the breadth of Jewish cuisine influence on the city. When I first discovered these wonders, my mind-melded with grilled offal – sweetbreads, and tripe, and liver. There were fish broths and fried anchovies and cod. Well-known dishes with Jewish roots include fiori di zucca, aliciotte e indivia, and tortolicchio.
For me, the most sumptuous link to my Italian/Jewish past was the Carciofi alla Giudia: the fried Jewish-style artichokes. Splayed out like a flower, bronzed like Roman gladiator armor, and crispy like crunchy potato chips, the fried chokes were the ideal snack and I couldn’t get enough of them.
(ph credit Marisa Lynch)
To celebrate my Jewish/Italian roots, I wanted to share my recipe for Carciofi alla Giudia as a Hanukkah treat. This version is a little healthier but just as tasty as it’s made in an air fryer instead of a deep fryer. I hope you enjoy making this classic Cucina Ebraica snack and while eating, envisioning the thousands of years of history that brought this dish about.
Carciofi alla Giudea by Paul Feinstein
Ingredients:
2-4 whole artichokes (preferably Romanesco)
2 lemons
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Clean artichokes. Cut off the end of the stems, remove all outer leaves until you see the whites of the artichoke heart, and peel outer fibrous layers of the stem.
Squeeze lemons into a large bowl filled with water and submerge artichokes for 10 minutes.
Drain and dry artichokes on paper towels and pre-heat air fryer to 350° f.
Completely cover artichokes in EVOO.
Cook face down in air fryer for 10 minutes at 350° F.Remove artichokes and let cool for 10 minutes. Gently open artichoke leaves and remove the inner leaves to reveal the choke (If using globe artichokes, gently scrape out the furry chokes to reveal the heart). Re-heat air fryer to 350°F. Re-cover artichokes with EVOO.
Place artichokes back in the air fryer with leaves spread fully out and flattened face down
Cook for 6-7 minutes at 350° F.Remove artichokes and immediately sprinkle salt and pepper. Serve and eat!
(ph credit Marisa Lynch)