Carciofi e castagne
Artichokes and chestnuts
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- 4 (600 g - 1lb and 5 1/4oz) medium-size artichokes
- 100 g (3 1/2oz) peeled and boiled chestnust
- 1 orange
- 150 g (5 1/4oz) leek, finely sliced
- Half a lemon
- Little bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Time:
preparation: 20 minutes
cooking: 20 minutes
total time: 40 minutes - Difficulty:
easy recipe - Nutrition Facts (amount per serving):
Calories: 203 (kCal) 11 % GDA (*) - 849 (kJ)
Protein: 5.6 (g) 12 % GDA
Total fat: 10.9 (g) 16 % GDA
Total carbohydrate: 21.9 (g) 9 % GDA
Sugars: 12.3 (g) 14 % GDA
Artichokes and chestnuts are an unusual combination, but we assure you, very good.
We have invented nothing new. Artichokes and chestnuts with other vegetables are almost normal ingredients in some soup recipes, in the south of Italy.
The news is to cook the artichokes in orange juice.
You'll need few ingredients to make this artichoke-and-achestnut recipe: artichokes (even frozen, if you have no time to clean them), boiled chestnuts which nowadays are conveniently packaged in a vacuum and available all year long (you can also find them frozen), fresh or dried parsley, an orange, half a lemon and good-quality olive oil.
This is a typical winter recipe for the presence of oranges, chestnuts and artichokes.
Here's the artichoke-and-chestnut recipe!
Prepare the artichokes. Clean the artichokes and cut into segments to have eight pieces from each.
Immediately plunge the segments into the water where you've squeezed the half lemon.
If you want more instructions about artichoke cleaning, please consult our members-only area. There you'll be able to find step-by-step instructions to clean artichokes and a lot of photos on these steps.
Prepare the other ingredients. Remember to set aside some parsley leaves if you want to garnish your dish as you can see on the photo.
Squeeze the orange and put apart the juice.
Divide the chestnuts into two groups. Cut into 4 to 5 pieces every chestnut of the first group and blend the other ones.
The last step: the cooking. Brown the leek in the olive oil over very gentle heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add the artichokes (do not throw the water in which they were plunged) and cook, stirring often, for a couple of minutes. Pour in the orange juice, stir and let simmer for a few minutes. Then add half the acidulated water, parsley, blended chestnuts and chestnuts in pieces too. Season to taste with salt, stir and continue cooking until the cooking liquid is completelycreduced.
Add more acidulated water only if necessary.
Your chestnut-and-artichoke dish is ready!
Note
- - If you like the idea, you can prepare a delicious soup to eat with a spoon. In this case add all the acidulated water and cook until the consistency of a soup. It's very tasty served with some crostini (grilled bread slices).
- - Serve this artichoke-and-chestnut recipe as a soup in your daily menu.
Another idea is to serve it, well reduced, as a side dish to accompany meat or fish without spicy sauces in an important menu.
Or as a course between the appetizers and main dish. If you've prepared spicy appetizers and your main dish has a delicate flavor it is necessary to serve a dish like this one.
Children recipe
- - This vegetarian recipe is also ideal for your children. The presence of chestnuts and orange is a great excuse to make them eat vegetables.
And then you can also rely on fairy tales. Tell them Fairy Elle, the fairy kid, really likes this recipe and often asks her nanny for it. She wanted chestnut-and-artichoke soup in her Christmas menu at all costs.
Healthy eating
- - This chestnut-and-artichoke dish can be viewed from two different points of view.
If you prepare it for your daily menu, serve it as soup. In this case the nutrient supply is OK within the daily balance.
If you decide to serve it as side dish, you have to be careful because matching it with meat or fish makes calories, fat and sugars rise much. Our tip is to prepare it for a special occasion. Considering all courses, total nutrition facts will be an Everest and for once it is better not to know anything! - - Curious about the nutritive value of artichokes? Consult our page dedicated to artichokes.
What's the right wine ?
Please, don't match wine with artichokes. This combination often gives bad results.
You can pair this dish with dry sparkling wine if you'r planning an important menu.
The author Loretta Sebastiani lives in Italy (IT)
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