Pietro Gangemi's Torta di Carciofi

Readers, forgive me. I first told you about the wonderful torta di carciofi my uncle made over New Year's in January, promising you the recipe soon, and, well - uh - it's Tax Day. Okay, so consider this my Tax Day present to you! Or a belated Easter gift! I finally converted his recipe from metric to Imperial (and from scribbled down on a piece of paper while watching his every move to an actual, usable recipe) and I'm so happy to present it to you.

Eagle-eyed readers will notice that my torta doesn't quite look like his torta. I think this may have something to do with the difference in store-bought puff pastry - his Belgian pastry came already rolled out into a large, thin circle, while mine was in thickish rectangles and had to be patchworked together. His tart tin was bigger than mine, too, so his torta is flatter. And, lastly, my uncle - as I think I've mentioned before - is an artichoke whisperer. He closes himself into the kitchen with a sharp paring knife and a bowl of acidulated water and, and meditates or something, goes into a fugue state, cleaning big mountains of thorny little artichokes, transforming them into silky, delicious dishes that make me want to park myself with a fork at his table and never, ever leave.

Me, I'm not so gifted. Also, there are no baby artichokes available here right now. So I made do with frozen. (Stop screaming! They're not so bad, in a pinch. Yes, this torta will taste even better with fresh artichokes, it's true. But it's darn tasty with frozen, too.)

What you do is cook the frozen artichoke quarters in olive oil, plain, no garlic, no nothing, until they get browned in places and the kitchen smells delicious. If you're my uncle, you cut the cleaned artichokes into little slivers before cooking them in olive oil. Let them get nice and brown, even browner than in this photo. That means high-ish heat, and monitoring. If things start to stick to the bottom of your pan, you can always deglaze with a little water and keep going. Brown bits stuck to the pan are a good thing! They mean flavor.

When you're almost done with the artichokes, you season them and sprinkle with parsley, then let them cool chopping them up. You add them, fragrant as can be, to creamy, nutmeg-scented ricotta, season this a bit more and then pile the filling into a puff-pastry lined cake tin.

If you're cooking in America, store-bought puff pastry  comes in rectangles, so you've got to do a little craft work. It's okay if your resulting lined tin doesn't look very pretty - this is rustic and rustic is good. I used a combination of pinching, a water-dipped finger, fork-work, and plain old-fashioned cursing to get the puff pastry bits to stick to each other in the tin. If you happen to live elsewhere, your store-bought puff pastry might come already rolled out into a lovely circle. Lucky you! You should make two of these, just for kicks.

Right, so pour in the filling, fold down the pastry over the filling, brush with an egg wash which will make the torta look so pretty and burnished and bake it in a hot oven until the pastry browns and rises and the filling is set and your house smells amazing and the people coming for lunch trip over themselves to peek into the oven and hang about your kitchen, getting in the way like the adorably hungry people they are. I mean, do you blame them? You shouldn't.

This torta is simply delicious. The pastry is light and crackly, the artichokes are nice and savory, but with that haunting, sweet top note, and there's something very pure and clean about the taste of it, not mucked up with strange herbs or too much garlic or whatever else makes vegetable pies a sometimes dubious presence on a lunch buffet.

Pietro says you can use different vegetables in the filling, it doesn't always have to be artichokes. He recommends trying broccoli with sundried tomatoes (use only the broccoli florets, not the stalks, and boil them before sautéing in olive oil - and chop the tomatoes up nicely), or, of course, zucchini. I haven't tried those yet, but you probably all know by now that if Pietro recommends something, it's going to be good.

Now forget about the fact that it took me four months to get this to you and go shopping! Start working on your artichoke-cleaning skills! Or be a lazy bum like me and buy frozen! Whatever you do, don't wait as long as I did to make this. Buon appetito!

Torta di Carciofi (Artichoke Torta)
Serves 10 to 12

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 9-ounce box frozen artichoke hearts OR 10 to 13 fresh baby artichokes (cleaned and cut into slivers)
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 cup parsley leaves, minced
2 large eggs
1 pound ricotta (about 500 grams)
20 strokes freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano
Freshly ground black pepper
1 package prepared puff pastry

1. Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet until hot but not smoking. Add the artichokes and cook over medium-high heat for about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally and constantly monitoring the heat. You want the artichokes to brown but not burn, to sauté but not steam. You can periodically deglaze the pan with a spoonful or two of water, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. When the artichokes have taken on color and are fully cooked, add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the minced parsley and mix well. Remove from heat and let cool until you're able to transfer the artichokes to a cutting board, scraping the pan well. Using a large knife, roughly cut the cooked artichokes into small pieces.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a 10- or 12-inch cake tin (or springform pan or pizza pan) with parchment paper and then with puff pastry, making sure that the pastry lines the sides of the pan with plenty of hang-over.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine 1 egg, the ricotta, the nutmeg, Parmigiano, the remaining salt, and pepper to taste. Add the chopped artichokes and mix well. (If you're secure about your egg quality, taste the filling at this point and adjust if it needs more salt.) Pour the filling into the prepared pastry. Fold the pastry that hangs over the sides of the pan over the filling and press down gently where the dough overlaps. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and brush the beaten egg over the pastry (not the filling).

4. Put the torta into the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. The pastry will brown and the filling will set. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack before using the parchment paper to remove the torta from the tin. Set it on a serving plate, cut into slices, and serve. Tastes best cooled but not cold.

Comments

[maggie (p&c)]

Yum! I'm glad you posted this. It sounds so delightful, I just love the flavor of artichokes.
And I'm glad you told us it's ok to use frozen. If I'm going to use fresh, I'm going to need an instructor to walk me through the trimming.

[debbie]

Luisa, this looks--and sounds--amazing! Looove artichokes. Puff pastry is fun. What could be better? (And I don't judge you for using frozen--fresh artichokes scare me, frankly.)

[Vanessa]

ooh yum! This might have to be what I make for an upcoming birthday brunch.
I can just smell it already! thanks~

[deb]

Eee! This recipe is so on, as soon as we get settled in the new place. My favorite part? That your uncle is "the artichoke whisperer". Second favorite part is that this uses frozen, which are so much easier to whip up, and more affordable too.

[Anne]

Just need to chime in with the others touting frozen artichokes. Just one look and I wanted to make this, and now I know I can. It looks too good!

[Sara]

Sounds fantastic!

After one bad experience cleaning artichokes, I pretty much stick to frozen and have been pretty happy.

[michaela]

your writing is really delightful.

[Adrienne]

I wonder if the Artichoke Whisperer could get a show (Food network?) where he teaches people how to tame their misbehaving vegetables. You must be the vegetable's pack leader. You must understand the vegetable's wants and needs. He could take them rollerblading!

[Jasmine]

oh my word! that looks AMAZING. i just have to get a tin that would hold it first. thank you! what a happy tax day!

[Kate]

That looks awesome! My family makes something very similar, but with spinach and pie crust. I like this better--love the puff pastry!

[A Mouse Bouche]

I cannot tell you how nice it was, during this stressful, overworked time, to see such a gorgeous picture and then to begin reading and hear words like "frozen artichokes" and "store-bought puff pastry". Phew. bless you.

[lisaiscooking]

This sounds wonderful, and I'll gladly use frozen artichokes if I can find them! Although, an afternoon spent prepping fresh artichokes sounds pretty good too.

[mary]

I have artichokes in the freezer right now, and I've been waiting for inspiration on what to do with them. Sounds like my wait is over...

[Abra (French Letters)]

I'm wondering about using topinambours, Jerusalem artichokes, which would be similarin flavor and texture but easier to prep, and maybe just as delicious as fresh artichoke hearts. Can you think of any reason why they wouldn't work? It looks like such a nice recipe.

[L*Joy]

artichokes are a breath of fresh air on tax day. thanks for converting the recipe for us.

[Luisa]

Michaela - thank you!

Adrienne - your comment made me laugh out loud.

Abra - Jerusalem artichokes are actually nothing like regular artichokes (they are actually tubers in the sunflower species), so I wouldn't substitute them here. Instead I'd just use a different vegetable, like zucchini or broccoli with sundried tomatoes as mentioned in the post.

[thecatskillkiwi]

did somebody say PASTRY!!

[Malina]

What a lovely recipe! Thanks for sharing.

[Rose-Anne]

An artichoke-whisperer! Hilarious! I want one of those in my family :-)

The ingredient list here could double as a list of "Rose-Anne's favorite things." [smacks lips approvingly]

[Chris]

Wow.
Spectacular, frozen artichokes and all.

[Dana McCauley]

Holy high fiber - that's a whole lotta artichokes!

[Christina]

I've been waiting for this recipe for months! I can't wait to try it. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[Chilli]

I think I'll be going the frozen artichoke route too. I hate that you go through all that work to save a tiny part of the veggie. This recipe looks super-yum!

[jenny]

yummy! and an even better gift than my refund. thanks, luisa!

[Joyti]

It sounds and looks heavenly! Yum...

[JN]

I almost swooned looking at the photos - thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this! The lovely photography, the delightful writing, and one amazing recipe that I cannot wait to try, makes it well worth the wait!

I hate to even ask, feeling like I may insult the recipe, but should I even consider canned artichoke hearts?

[unconfidentialcook.com]

Looks, sounds...and I'm sure...tastes wonderful. Thank you!

[Mélanie]

This looks delicious! And now, I'm really pissed about myself because I used all my baby artichokes yesterday to go into a salad. Well, it's going to be good too, but I had ricotta in my fridge, and the torta would have been perfect for lunch!! Well, I'll just have to go buy some new ones at the market tomorrow... It's funny that while I follow lots of culinary blogs , it's always your recipe that I keep doing less than 1 week after I see them... :-)

[S]

I might not start cooking right this minute, but it's gone straight into my bookmark folder of recipes to try.

[MsGourmet]

I normally make a ricotta and broad bean torta. I have never once thought to substitute broad beans with carciofi. Please thank your uncle for allowing you to share this with - everyone!

[Lauren]

This sounds so good! I can't wait to try it. I have made a similar torte using leeks and onions.

[Chelsea]

This looks fantastic. I have a big weakness for torta in any form. You can't really go wrong with flaky pastry and fluffy ricotta.

[Lia]

Mmmmm . . . I actually have a bag of fresh baby artichokes in the fridge. Now I know what I'll be making this weekend -- thank you!

[ann]

I love your family for all their wonderful recipes. Thanks so much for sharing them with us!!

[Jodye]

Mmmm artichokes. This looks amazing!

[Jesse]

Thank you thank you for this!! I can't wait to try it. And I agree, artichokes do have a deliciously haunting lingering flavor to them.

[Julia]

Unfortunately I am in Australia and artichokes are not in season here... so Joyti, and Luisa, I will try this with canned (in water & salt only) and tell you how it goes. This looks so yummy!

Your writing always inspires me, not only to try cooking new things, but also to blog about my kitchen journeys, encouraging my friends to try new things too...

[Julia]

Ooops... the above message should be for JN, not Joyti.
I looked for frozen artichokes at my supermarket but no luck, so I'll let you know tomorrow how the canned ones fared.

[ER]

New follower to your blog! LOVE. I made this last night.
SO. Delicious. I wanted to eat the entire plate.
THANK. YOU.

[laura]

That would make on heck of a brunch! Mmmm.

[Jen]

Wow that looks fabulous! Your post was so cute and funny...I giggled in a couple spots :)

[salley]

I love artichoke anything - thanks so much!!! I was wondering, for those that buy rectangular puff pastry... What about just making a rectangular tart??

[Luisa]

JN - I don't know, I would be wary of those since in the States they're usually jarred with a bunch of herbs and vinegar. You want your artichokes as plain as can be. Canned could work, maybe? Let's wait to hear from Julia...

ER - welcome! And I'm so glad you tried this already and that it was a success!

Salley - GENIUS! I'm glad someone's thinking straight around here. :)

[Ulla]

This post is great! I am drooling thinking about this torte!It looks wonderful, my boyfriend would love it because he loves artichokes. I actually sorta like frozen artichokes, is that bad?
Looks WONDERFUL!:)

[Osvaldo]

It is a pasqualina pie. Instead of flaky pastry I use the pie dough from Argentina that you can get at Hispanic stores; the best one is La salteña; I also add some lemon rind.

[Evy]

Can't wait to try this!
I made the spicy roast chicken breast recipe you posted- everyone loved it. I love your blog! Because you try the recipes for us and you are so honest...
Thank you--a faithful reader

[Recipe man]

yum! this look so good
thanks. first time visiting im sure to come again

[Henry]

OH BOY!!!OH BOY!!!
I just blogged about my detox, but it looks like I might have to give it up already.
Thank you for the recipe. Love Henry

http://henryorangutangle.blogspot.com/

[Julia]

OK, so I made it with canned artichokes since there were no fresh or frozen ones to be found... I also made it in a square pyrex, with parchment paper, and the shape didn't hurt it one bit, Salley.

Next time I will remember to press the pastry down a little more, because moments after removing the torta from the oven, the filling deflated...oops.

I rinsed, then squeezed the water out of the canned 'chokes and broke them into pieces before tossing them in the pan, and let them get quite brown. I don't often cook with them so I'm not sure how they compare to fresh/frozen, but the result was tasty indeed!

I used two cans with approx 6 whole hearts each, a total of about 80 grams without the water and salt. The resulting mixture was nice and squashy, and my husband and I ate quite a bit of it for dinner...

[:D]

How about a pizza dough in place of puff pastry?