Alfred, a Great Emotion!

Alfred, a Great Emotion!

Alfred and Ann have honored us with their presence in Molise twice, after one year. I have hoped in my heart to see them again this year, if only for a greeting. Unfortunately the Virus (the unnamed) has revolutionized the world … at least for a while!

Alfred was fascinated by the atmosphere of the villages of Molise, the Adriatic Sea, perhaps because the places, people, flavors, authentic atmospheres of Molise brought him back in time, to childhood, to domestic life, to family, parents, grandparents who arrived in America in 1910: the grandfather from Aquila, in Abruzzo, a region bordering Molise; the grandmother from a small town near Naples, in Campania.

I have always been very surprised by Alfred’s love for Italy and Anne’s enthusiasm for the Italian language and culture … and for the cooking workshops!

In short, seeing the photos on Facebook of the Italian artichokes prepared by Alfred for Anne, according to the family recipe passed down verbally for generations, I was moved!

Alfred wrote:

This recipe has been in my family for generations. It was never written down. They just made it and I learned by watching. My Nonno & Nonna arrived in the USA around 1910. It was from their family in Italy. Nonno was from l’Aquila..Nonna was from east of Napoli.”.

Here is the recipe of the Eanni family. Maybe someone will go back in time.

It would be nice to meet one day to cook all together, maybe in Molise!

Thanks Alfred for sharing!

See you soon. Take care. Good life.

OvenRoastedArtichokes, EANNI (IANNI) STYLE:
1. Trim, wash, drain, and air dry artichokes.
2. Spread petals open, sprinkle diced garlic (at least 1 clove per choke), sprinkle with lots of salt, and then drench with extra virgin olive oil. Make sure all ingredients get between petals.
3. Place in Dutch Oven or other baking pan and cover tight.
4. Roast at 450 degrees(450*F) 75 minutes to 90 minutes.
5. At about 50 minutes baste with olive oil in bottom of baking pan. Recover and continue roasting.
6. When petals remove easily, they are done.

Note:The goal is to get the outer petals to turn brown. This is caramelizing. This is where the tasty flavor comes from. When doing larger amounts, make sure the artichokes are not crowded. Also, before you start seasoning, make sure they are totally dry which helps them brown. If the outer petals seem too brown, this is okay..it means more flavor. I sometimes add a few more drops of olive oil to the bottom of the pan when basting. Even though the outside may seem too brown the inner petals and heart are full of flavor.
I had artichokes this way all of my life. I didn’t have a steamed one until I was eighteen and thought they were horrible..lol
Alfred Eanni (Ianni)

 

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