Aliter carduos (Artichokes with Herbs)

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Aliter carduos (Artichokes with Herbs)

Aliter carduos (Artichokes with Herbs) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for a dish of boiled artichokes served drizzled with a herby dressing. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Artichokes with Herbs (Aliter carduos).

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

25 minutes

Total Time:

45 minutes

Serves:

Rating:

Tags : Sauce Recipes Herb Recipes Vegetable Recipes Ancient Roman Recipes

Original Recipe

Aliter carduos (from Apicius' De Re Coquinaria III,19,2)

Aliter carduos: rutam, mentam, coriandrum, feniculum, omnia viridia teres. addes piper, ligusticum, mel, liquamen et oleum.

Translation

Another recipe for cardoons: Grind rue, mint, coriander and fennel, all fresh. Add pepper, lovage, honey. liquamen and oil.

The plant referred to here is probably the Cardoon, Cynara cardunculus (also known as the artichoke thistle, cardone, cardoni, carduni or cardi), which is a thistle-like plant of the Asteraceae (aster) family. This is the fore-runner of the Globe artichoke and for culinary purposes Globe artichokes can be substituted. However, it's the stems and leaf bases of the cardoon that are consumed rather then the flower head (as for artichokes).

Ingredients:

8 artichokes
1/2 tsp rue (this can be dangerous so substitute a few drops of bitters)
2 tsp coriander leaves, shredded
1 tsp fennel fronds, chopped
1 tsp mint, shredded
1/2 tsp lovage seeds (or celery seeds)
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp liquamen (fish sauce (Nam Pla))
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp fish sauce (Nam Pla)
120ml olive oil

Method:

Remove the outer leaves from the artichokes then trim off any spiny tips and remove the chokes (if present). Whisk together the olive oil and fish sauce. Arrange the artichokes upright in a small pan, cover with water and pour the oil mixture over the top. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until the artichokes are cooked and tender (about 25 minutes).

Combine the herbs and seeds in a mortar and pound to a powder. Add the honey, fish sauce and a little olive oil and mix to a paste. When the artichokes are ready remove from the pan, arrange on a plate and spoon a little of the spicy sauce over each then serve.
Find more recipes from Apicius' De Re Coquinaria along with information on Apicius and his cookbook, all part of this site's Ancient Roman recipes collection.