Ravioli of Artichokes

Makes 36 ravioli, 6 for entree and 10 for main

Ingredients

ravioli dough
6 Artichokes
olive oil
salt, pepper
4 cloves garlic
50 grams pecorino cheese
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
50 grams parmesan, grated
Sauce
50 grams capers (drained)
20 grams parsley, chopped
45 ml olive oil,
(anchovies optional)
100 grams pecorino cheese

Method

Wash the artichokes first, then split and scrape out the choke (if not using very young artichokes which have not yet developed a choke)

Put them in a covered pan with very little water, some olive oil, salt and pepper. Quite a lot of salt and a mixture of ground black and white pepper and roughly chopped garlic.

If the artichokes are new season, they will take 15-20 minutes to cook, but the time depends on the quality of the artichoke. Fry in the oil and when they are nearly cooked, take the lid off for the last few minutes to dry them out a bit. Let the artichokes dry, but not too much. Sometimes when they are really tender, they take even less time. If they are overcooked, they lose juice.

Chop them roughly like parsley. The artichokes will chop more easily when they are still warm. They get tougher if you leave them to get cold.

Mix together, the chopped artichokes, the parsley and the cheese.

Do not use a blender instead of chopping because the filling will then get too wet and will seep out of the pasta.

Add a tiny bit of grated parmesan and taste for seasoning.

Ravioli dough

To cook

Before you finish the batch, try to cook a couple to see if they are alright

Take a large pot of salted boiling water and boil 8 minutes.

Whilst boiling, make the sauce.

When ravioli are cooked, drain and toss in sauce

Sauce

Put capers, (anchovies, optional) and parsley into the hot oil, fry a minute

Pour over the ravioli.

Serve with grated pecorino cheese over.

Note: to extend the sauce and use up all the artichoke, you can boil the stalks and the outer leaves of the artichoke and mix with the sauce but don't use any leaves which are dry and hard.

Silvana's hints on choosing and preparing artichokes

Try and find artichokes with a purple tinge and long oval shape, not the bunchy round ones.

Don't buy artichokes which have started to open, it means that they have developed a choke inside, this is known as the 'moustache' because of its strange hairy quality. It is best to buy them quite closed, though they can be very hard to find.

One artichoke per person is normally enough for a first course. But it all depends on the size

To prepare - hold your finger on the base of the artichoke, so that as you break off the outer leaves, you don't lose the fleshy part at the base, even the outer leaves should be retained for eating. Keep all the top. Break off the stalks at the point where they are tough. You then peel off the outside of the stalk, keep all the stalk until it's tender. Feel with your fingers and cut where it starts to get hard.