Carciofi galore!

Every morning I am awaken by a man singing, in what first sounds like arabic, which later becomes discipherable as Carciofiiiii! Uoveeeee! Biscottiiiiii! (artichokes, eggs, biscuits). He is selling them.

Few seem to take any notice, so he then carries on a call to prayer from his makeshift minuret- in this case the back of his 3wheel scooter - 'é tutti bisgone per fare il pranzooooooo......! (everything you'll need to make lunch).

In the summer months, the rivallary from these 'venditore ambulente' (mobile salesmen) gets so strong, in inverse proportions to peoples' apathy to leave the house, I was compelled to shout out of my window, 'Shuuuuut uuuuup!'
This morning, a brilliant sunny morning in Siracuse, I saw a book on italian archicture which had the most beautiful emerald green cover- on closer inspection it turned out to be the heart of an artichoke.

Artichokes are everywhere these days. They are one of the main sources of sustanance through the winter months, and get so cheap to buy by January they cost about 80 cents a kilo. Then they are brought and preserved for antipasti for throughout the year. I will find out how this is done and put it on a later posting.

Carciofi al ripieni is a local receipe, and a good'un!

4 fresh artichokes

300g breadcrumbs

100g grated parmesan or pecorino

pinch of salt

pinch of parsley (dry or fresh)

a clove of crushed garlic

Wash the artichokes and leave aside.

Mix all other ingredients together

Break open slightly the head of the artichoke and put a teaspoon of mix in

Then lever some of the leaves apart so as to get mix in outer foliage

Thats all there is to it. Now just put them in a saucepan with water to cover about 1/3 of the artichoke at the bottom (the tops get steamed). Pour a little olive oil over the tops and cook slowly for 40mins