Raw Artichoke Salad

Like Artichokes? Eat them with me in Rome on my Small-Group Food & Wine Tour to Southern Italy.
Raw Artichoke Salad

Insalata de carciofi is one of my favourite ways to serve artichokes – simply thinly sliced with a tangy lemon dressing and a little salty cheese. Celery heart adds crunch to this raw artichoke salad and a few baby rocket leaves give colour. But don’t use too much, let the artichoke be the star, and only use the palest inner stalks of celery and the smallest rocket leaves you can find. Artichokes are notoriously tricky to match with wine, as they contain a compound called cynarin that makes most other things taste slightly sweet. It seems a very dry wine, one with even a slightly bitter citrus-peel edge, is a good match – di Lusso vermentino from Mudgee works a treat. This raw artichoke salad is also great as a side dish and can easily be doubled or tripled. When artichokes are out of season, or you just need a quick fix, make this simple artichoke and white bean dip using good preserved artichoke pieces.

Serves 2 as a starter

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (40ml)
  • 1 tablespoon strained lemon juice (20ml)
  • Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 globe artichokes
  • ½ lemon
  • 2 stalks celery heart, finely sliced
  • Small handful baby rocket leaves
  • 50g Pecorino Romano, finely shaved (1¾oz)
Method
  1. Combine oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
  2. Working one at a time, trim the artichokes and remove the outer leaves to get to the pale green heart; see video below and my step-by step guide for preparing artichokes (as you’re only preparing 2 artichokes, you don’t need to put them in water, just rub all cut surfaces well with lemon).
  3. Once you’ve removed the hairy choke from the centre, finely slice the artichokes, cutting the sliced base into strips, and immediately toss through the lemon dressing.
  4. Toss through the celery heart, then the rocket, then most of the Pecorino.
  5. Arrange raw artichoke salad on a platter, draining off any excess dressing, and top with remaining Pecorino.
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How to Prepare Artichokes

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What Other Travellers Say

Diane (Cremorne Point, NSW, Aus)
Diane (Cremorne Point, NSW, Aus)
Relaxed, organised and well-paced – a wonderful bespoke small group tour, starting in Rome, then travelling down the Amalfi Coast to stay at a family estate where we were treated like old friends. This tour included some hidden gems too, notably on our way to Matera, a fascinating town built into the side of a mountain. We finished with Naples and Pompeii – with plenty of wine and more new tastes. Roberta is a specialist and very personable as she hosts and explains every detail of the food and wine experience.
Belinda (Balmain, NSW, Aus)
Belinda (Balmain, NSW, Aus)
I’ve been on three of Roberta’s food and wine tours so far and each one has been an amazing well-organised experience. From historic Rome and Pompeii to the spectacular Amalfi Coast, remarkable Venice and the charming villages of Switzerland, each tour offers something special. Then there’s the food in fabulous places where you can truly eat like a local. I highly recommend Roberta’s tours to anyone who wants to discover inspired travel through great food, wine and company. I’m already looking forward to the next one!
Michael (Cremorne, NSW, Aus)
Michael (Cremorne, NSW, Aus)
Starting in Rome then spending time on the Amalfi Coast and further south before heading back to Rome for the last couple of days made for a nice ‘round trip’. Roberta’s choice of eateries was excellent with some very enjoyable meals – and a nice mix of other activities, like vineyard visits, between meals. Everything was very well organised: transport, nice hotels in close proximity to most activities, and a relaxed pace with enough time to follow your nose if that took your fancy. A very worthwhile tour and I’m already looking forward to another!
Di (Manly, NSW, Aus)
Di (Manly, NSW, Aus)
I absolutely recommend Roberta’s Southern Italy tour! We’ve always been independent travellers so were a little apprehensive – by day 2 we knew we’d made a great decision! Roberta knows people and places far from the tourist trail so we visited wineries where we were always invited for lunch as well as wine-tasting, a family lemon grove high on the Amalfi Coast and a 3rd generation cheesemaker. We stayed in a stunning cave hotel in Matera and a gorgeous family hotel in Scala – and book-ended the tour with the vibrancy of Rome. So many highlights, such a brilliant experience. We will do another tour with Roberta.
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