Carciofi alla romana (Roman-style artichokes)

To prepare the Roman-style artichokes, start by cutting the lemon in half 1. Then fill a rather large bowl with water and squeeze in the half lemon 2 and rub the remaining part on your hands, so they will not blacken while cleaning the artichokes. Take your artichokes and start removing the outer leaves by tearing them off by hand 3.

Then cut off the end of the stem 4 and the tip of your artichoke 5. With your hands spread the artichoke and using a small knife, or a corer, also cut out the central part so as to eliminate the inner beard 6.

Also peel the stem and round off the end using a sharp knife 7. Place the artichoke inside the acidulated water 8 and continue in the same way for the others. Cover with absorbent paper to keep the artichokes soaked in water 9, keep aside and in the meantime prepare the filling.

Take the mint, roll the leaves and cut them with a knife 10 without chopping them too much. Then take the garlic, peel it, cut it first into slices 11 and then mince it. Add it to the mint 12,

add a pinch of salt 13, black pepper and mix everything together. Drain the artichokes and shake them slightly to remove the excess water, then use the freshly prepared mix to stuff them 14. Rub them with salt and pepper on the cutting board 15.

At this point transfer them upside down into a pan 16, keeping them fairly close together. Then pour in both the oil 17 and the water 18 so that the artichokes are covered up to the top of the stem.

Cover with a lid 19 and cook for about 30 minutes over low heat. They will be tender 20 and you can serve your Carciofi alla romana (Roman-style artichokes) warm 21.