Carciofi sott’olio

The artichoke season is something to shout about, says Lori De Mori in her latest book; there are as many as four different kinds of artichokes for sale: mamme (large) which are usually boiled, carciofi (smaller, slender artichokes), carciofini (tiny) and morellini (small purple-leaved artichokes). If you balk at the price of preserved artichoke hearts, make your own with the following recipe:

INGREDIENTS

1kg smallest available artichokes,

1 lemon, halved,

1tsp coarse sea salt,

1l white table wine,

1tsp black peppercorns,

500ml extra virgin olive oil

Clean the artichokes by removing the outer leaves; stop when you reach the yellow- and purple-tinged inner leaves. Turn each artichoke on its side and cut off the tough leaf tips leaving only the pale, tender, edible part.

Cut off all but 2cm-3cm of the stem, peeling the remaining part with a paring knife. There is no need to remove the choke as carciofi rarely have them. Rub the cut edges and the stem with the lemon.

Put the artichokes in a medium saucepan, add the salt, pour in the wine and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the artichokes are cooked but still firm and the alcohol has evaporated.

Lift them out of the pan with a slotted spoon and drain, upside down, on a clean tea towel.

Spoon into sterilised preserving jars, scattering in the peppercorns as you go. Cover with the olive oil (topping up after a couple of hours when the jar has settled). Store in a cool dark place for a month before eating.

Taken from The Real Flavours of Tuscany by Lori De Mori and Jason Lowe, published by Quadrille at £14.99. To order from The Week Bookshop at £13.49 (incl. p&p) contact: 0870 0711 712.