Wine: a robust red, from Tuscany, like a Montepulciano
Dessert: Fresh fruit with vanilla yogurt
Game Plan:
When you walk in the door
Assemble the ingredients.
Put the pacetta in the refrigerator.
Get out Pantry Items.
Get out Tools.
Prep
Rinse the artichokes and if the leaves are sharp at the end, snip off the tip of each leaf with the scissors.
Turn each artichoke stem end up and lean on it, to open it up.
Put the artichokes, stem ends down, in the Dutch oven.
Rinse and pat dry the parsley, pluck 3 loosely packed cups of leaves.
Peel 6 cloves garlic.
Zest the lemons.
Start Cooking
Pour 1 cup water around the artichokes.
Mince the garlic cloves with the parsley and the lemon zest.
Strew the mixture over the artichokes, getting some of it down among the leaves.
Drizzle 4 tbsps. olive oil over the artichokes.
Sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce the heat so the water is simmering. Let the artichokes cook for about 15 minutes. CHECK THEM OFTEN AND ADD WATER 1/2 CUP AT A TIME, SO THEY DON’T BURN!!
While the artichokes are cooking, rinse the potatoes.
Peel and cut the onions into sixths. If you are using spring onions, trim off the stems and the root end, and leave them whole.
Add the potatoes and onions to the artichokes, pushing them down among the artichokes as much as you can.
Check to see that the artichokes aren’t sticking – add some water if necessary.
Sprinkle the potatoes and onions with some salt and pepper. Cover. The artichokes will take about another 25 minutes to cook, and so will the rest of the vegetables.
Set the table and open the wine.
Get the pancetta from the fridge, cut into 1/2 inch strips.
Heat 2 tsps. oil in the skillet over medium heat, and add the pancetta strips. Cook until they are golden and starting to crisp at the edges, 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove the pancetta from the heat.
Check the artichokes.
Pour yourself a glass of wine and read the editorials.
Test the artichokes to see if they’re tender by piercing the center, right down to the pan. If the knife goes in easily, the artichokes are cooked.
Test the potatoes too.
When everything is cooked, put one artichoke on each plate, along with some potatoes and some onions.
Sprinkle the pancetta over everything.
If there is leftover pancetta, put it in a bowl for the table.
Take the plates, the pancetta, and the bread to the table. Don’t forget the wine!
