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Castraùre
Castraùre
Artichokes of Sant'Erasmo
ph. Giorgio Bombieri - Comune di Venezia
Tender, meaty, and peculiarly purple-coloured, the artichokes of Sant’Erasmo are available starting from mid-April, when the castraùre, i.e. the first flowering tops of the artichokes, are ready to harvest.
The castraùre are a culinary delicacy available only for 15 days a year. They are so tender that they are traditionally served raw in a salad, finely sliced and lightly sprinkled with olive oil, salt and black pepper, and topped, if you wish, with shaved Grana Padano cheese. There are a number of recipes based on castraùre di Sant’Erasmo.
The recipe we propose here is published in the Veneto Archive of Memory, a project by Unioncamere and the Chambers of Commerce of Veneto.
INGREDIENTS (serves 6):
24 castraùre (flower buds)
1 onion
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
60 g of bacon
extra virgin olive oil
½ glass of white wine
salt and pepper
PROCEDURE
- Prepare the artichokes by removing all the outer leaves and the tough outer layer of the stems.
- Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the chopped onion, garlic, and bacon.
- Add the artichokes cut in half and brown them gently.
- pour in the white wine and cook over high heat until wine is reduced, then reduce the heat and cook until done.
