Italy produces more artichokes (carciofi) than any other country in the world, and Italians have enjoyed them in myriad delicious ways for centuries. From antipasti and salads to pasta and even the amaro Cynar, an artichoke-based digestif, carciofi are a versatile and celebrated ingredient in Italian cuisine.
Among the most well-known Italian artichoke dishes are several classics from Rome, where the seasonal vegetable is particularly important to local food traditions and the quality of the carciofi grown in the surrounding countryside is excellent, explained Fabio Parasecoli, Professor of Food Studies at NYU and a native Roman. Surely if you’ve been to the Eternal City in the spring, and/or follow any Rome-based foodies on Instagram, you’ve seen the gorgeous mounds of artichokes displayed in the markets and outside of restaurants.
In the US, chefs often use domestic artichokes in traditional Italian preparations, as well as reinterpretations of regional favorites and innovative plates that showcase the vegetable’s beauty and flavor. Here are four of our top picks for Italian restaurants serving up amazing artichoke dishes in NYC.
The Leopard at des Artistes
At the elegant, historic Upper West Side treasure The Leopard at des Artistes, chef Jordan Frosolone currently offers two weekly specials featuring artichokes. The first is a wonderfully fresh and bright salad consisting of fava beans, baby artichokes cooked in wine and lemon, chunks of young Pecorino Toscano, parsley, mint, and verdant extra virgin olive oil from Umbria. He describes the second as emblematic of Sardinia, made with farro pasta, lobster, artichokes, and bottarga, the dried, cured fish roe considered a delicacy from that island. The combination of the sweet lobster meat and the slightly bitter artichokes topped with the grated bottarga makes for a richly flavored yet still light primo piatto.
The Leopard at des Artistes: Artichoke, Lobster, and Bottarga pasta
Norma Gastronomia Siciliana
Norma chef and owner Salvatore Fraterrigo recalls eating artichokes in many different ways when he was growing up in Trapani on the west coast of Sicily. At his restaurant in Kips Bay, he chose to feature a carciofo ripieno (“stuffed artichoke”) that he learned to make from his mother and grandmother. “It’s a very simple, typical Sicilian dish, tied to the cucina povera (“peasant cooking”) tradition of not wasting anything,” said Fraterrigo. Whole artichokes are gently opened, filled with a mixture of bread crumbs, grated Pecorino Romano, parsley, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then cooked slowly in a pot over a low flame. The entire plump carciofo is perfect for sharing, and one of the most popular dishes at Norma.
Norma Gastronomia Siciliana
Bella Blu
Bella Blu has been an Upper East Side fixture for 25 years, and their antipasto of sautéed baby artichokes with pistachio and Parmigiano Reggiano has been a favorite among regulars for almost as long. The chef also makes delicate, decadent fresh ravioli di carciofi tossed in butter and topped with crushed pistachios, and frequently offers a striking special of whole artichokes baked in the oven with olive oil, basil, and mint.
Bella Blu: Artichoke special (cooked in the oven)
Trapizzino
Trapizzini are a relatively recent culinary creation, developed in Rome in 2008 by pizzaiolo Stefano Callegari. The tasty triangular-shaped pockets made with naturally leavened pizza dough are stuffed with classics from cucina romana, and have become a popular street food. At Trapizzino’s only US location on the Lower East Side, don’t miss the trapizzino filled with carciofi alla romana, “Roman-style artichokes” cooked with garlic, fresh mint, white wine, and olive oil. The restaurant also serves crispy carciofi alla giudia (“Jewish-style artichokes”), deep-fried baby artichokes with lemon, as an antipasto. [cover photo by Trapizzino]
Trapizzino filled with Carciofi alla Romana