Artichokes

Ok, so many of you know that my very favorite food is, and has always been, the Artichoke. My Dad used to say that when he was in Syria, artichokes would roll in the streets. Growing up, artichokes on every birthday, with lemon butter sauce. In college, I started having artichoke dinner parties and discovered you could eat them with mayonnaise. When dave and I got married and drove south after the wedding down to Big Sur, we drove through fields of artichokes, actually growing out of the ground!

The first night in Venice we walked by a man in a boat, husking and peeling a massive pile of artichokes. Since then, there have been artichokes on almost every menu. And I have done my best to order them all. Here are some standouts, a few mentioned previously, but worth a repeat.

Artichokes Baked With Mint in Orvieto. Very plain, served in a cellophane baking pod, magically delicious.

Also in Orvieto, Artichoke Risotto with Ginger and Green Tea. It was a lovely green color with hidden chunks of ginger and a smoky flair.

In Bevagna, Artichokes with Orchietta and Bacon. Simple, funky, salty and artichoke-y.

In Maria Degli Angeli, Artichokes Roma. Very simple but perfectly cooked, and as with all the others, there is no peeling of leaves. You can eat the whole thing.

In Assisi, Crispy Artichokes with Parmesan. This was crazy. Baked artichoke with crisped parmeggiano on top, on top of a creamy lemon sauce.

Also in Assisi, Flattened Artichoke with Lamb, exactly what it sounds like. Delicious.

Also eating them at home, got them at the deli just in olive oil, cold.

(In addition to the artichokes, we all want to give honorable mention to the potatoes at La Stalla, half way up the mountain, an onion flan with truffles I had in Florence, various versions of tagliatelle with wild boar sauce WM has had in various places. WM also says the tiramisu in Florence goes on the list.)

I just did research and found the '15 Best Places to Eat Artichokes in Rome'. So...

- Jessica