Recipe: Artichokes <i>alla Romana alla Turca</i>

1 hour, plus cooling time. 10 servings

1/4 cup medium-grain rice, such as baldo, well washed

1 lemon

15 large artichokes

1 1/4 cups (300 milliliters) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 onion, very finely diced into 1/8-inch pieces

Salt and freshly ground pepper

12 to 15 cloves garlic, chopped or thinly sliced, divided

Leaves from one bunch parsley, chopped

1. Soak the rice in hot water for 30 minutes, then drain.

2. Meanwhile, peel the rind from the lemon into thumbnail-sized pieces and halve the lemon, squeezing the juice into a bowl of water.

3. Prepare the artichoke: Peel, trim and clean the artichokes down to the bottoms; each bottom should be 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Cut each artichoke into 5 to 6 pieces (4 pieces if the bottoms are a little smaller). Keep the artichokes in the bowl of lemon water to prevent browning.

4. In a shallow pot, stir the olive oil and onion over medium-high heat until hot. Cook until the onion is softened, careful not to brown, about 5 minutes.

5. Stir in the rice and cook for a few minutes, then add the lemon rind. Add the artichoke bottoms and season with three-fourths teaspoon salt, or to taste. Reduce the heat and gently cook, covered, stirring occasionally to make sure every piece of artichoke cooks evenly until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. About halfway through cooking the artichokes, add half of the garlic.

6. When everything is cooked, remove from the heat, and stir in the parsley and the rest of the garlic. Season with freshly ground pepper and additional salt, if desired. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a serving platter and cool to room temperature.

7. Before serving, drizzle over a little more olive oil.

EACH SERVING

Calories 367

Protein 6 grams

Carbohydrates 29 grams

Fiber 16 grams

Fat 28 grams

Saturated fat 4 grams

Cholesterol 0

Sugar 2 grams

Sodium 288 mg