Carciofi alla romana: An unassuming member of the thistle family reaches an undreamed of pinnacle of goodness in Rome-the artichoke. How little the res: of the world seems to know about artichokes compared to the Italians! The French, with their penchant for picking vegetables young-baby carrots, infant turnips, puerile potatoes, miniscule peas, string beans of maiden slimness, -have apparently overlooked the fact that very young artichokes are equally rewarding. Other countries, our own included, seem to consider that the bigger an artichoke is the better. Nibble away at the one fragment of tenderness which lurks at the bottom of each leaf, enjoy the reward of its base, and you've had it.
How different is the Italian approach! Early in the season they snip off the smallest artichoke buds and put them up in herb-rich olive oil. When the unsnipped survivors become tender striplings, somewhat bigger than a duck's egg, they are cut with about two inches of the stalk. The hairy thistle core is removed by deft cropping, the Sharp tips of the leaves are cut back a bit, and the rest is a mango-tout, totally eatable down through the supposedly wiry stem.
Carciofi alla romana become goldengreen flowers when cooked in olive oil and while wine. Sometimes they are faintly perfumed with garlic, or again they are pointed up with vinegar and herbs only, but always their taste and texture is exquisite. They are equally good when hot, lukewarm or cold. Nobody prepares this dish quite as well as the Romans. They love them as an hors d'oeuvre, a garnish or a vegetable course and never stem to tire of them. If you can snare a dozen adolescent artichokes, here is the recipe:
Artichokes alla Romana
Remove the hard outer leaves of 12 small artichokes, trim (he points of the others, and remove the chokes, substituting minced garlic, parsley, mint, salt and pepper for the chokes. Make a bouquet of the artichokes in a terra-cotta casserole, moistening them with 4 tablespoons of oil, and cook them on a moderate fire for 10 minutes. Then add 2 cups dry white wine and ½ cup stock. Cover the casserole and let the artichokes cook until the sauce is almost reduced.
Gnocchi alla romana: There are two variations of this celebrated dish. The best known type is made of semolina, cooked in milk and butler. It is sliced when cold, cut in squares and cooked in the oven, bathed in abundant butter, a little cream, and topped with grated Parmesan cheese. This is the type best known in foreign lands.
The other variant is made of a paste of Hour and potato, formed into cocoonshaped losenges and then boiled. It is sometimes served with a meat sauce, and liberally sprinkled with Parmesan or Roman Pecorino cheese.
Fritto alla romana: Roman cooks have an enviable reputation as deep fryers. A good mixed fry alla romana is light and delicate, containing as it does the tender spare parts from very young animals-calves brains, or the same delicacies from baby goats, sweetbreads, calves' liver, artichokes and croutons, all dipped in milk, beaten egg and flour, and fried in deep lard, not oil. In many a Roman snack bar you will see suppli, another denizen of the deep-fry. These are golden-brown rice croquettes enclosing a pungent meat-and-sauce center almost as exciting as a ramale.
Saltimbocca alla romana: This, of course, is a favorite device for adding savor to an Italian escalope of veal, often a rather flat commodity. A leaf of sage and a thin slice of ham make all the difference when sautéing the veal, and a thin topping of Mozzarella cheese adds even more taste. Some of the subtler surgeons manage to make a pocket out of the thin slice of veal, and to stuff it with the ham, cheese and herbs, a refinement which deserves, and receives, quite an accolade from the public.
The Romans have their own way of serving spaghetti, alla matriciana (a savory sauce concealing onions, cheek of pork, tomatoes and peppers), and their own little tricks with suprêmes of turkey and chicken. Peas and ham cooked in a casserole are a perennial favorite. Seafood is not a specialty, but there are three noble Roman cheeses worth remembering. Pecorino Romano comes in large corded cylinders weighing as much as 25 pounds, and ages a year or more in the upper reaches of Roman food shops. Made from ewe's milk and always a little sharp, it is used as a condiment for pasta and soups. Provatura Romana is a cousin of Mozzarella, so famous in Naples. It comes from the milk of the pensive water buffalo, and appears in the shops in the form and color of an over-sized egg. Ricotta Romana is a cream cheese of many uses; fat, fragrant and delicate.
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