Artichoke & Fresh Ricotta “Cake” from a Piedmont Cooking Vacation

Originally featured as the Recipe of the Month for July 2004, this recipe hails from the region of Piedmont and the chef (at the time) of the 4-star Hotel Boston in Turin. Piedmont has long been one of my favorite regions since I visited for the first time back in 2005 with my husband.

The wines of course are legendary, and rightly so, but the food was a revelation. Piedmontese cuisine is a wonderful type of Northern Italian cuisine with influences from nearby southern France.

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Artichoke & Fresh Ricotta “Cake”

Serves: 8
Prep time: 60 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Cook method: Bake

Ingredients:

• 12 artichokes, cleaned and chokes removed
• 2 onions, sliced
• garlic
• a glass white wine
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 10 gr salami, cut into small cubes
• 4 eggs
• 200 gr. (7 oz.) of fresh cream
• 2 tablespoons of grated parmigiano
• slices of white bread to cover the baking mold
• 350 gr ricotta

Instructions:

1. Clean 12 artichokes, stew 8 of them for 10 minutes in a casserole with garlic, olive oil, a glass of white wine, salt, pepper.

2. Cut in slices the remaining 4 artichokes, cook them for 3 to 4 minutes in a pan with 2 sliced onions, a little oil, a slice of butter, salt and a thick slice of salami cut in little cubes.

3. In a bowl, mix 4 eggs with 200 gr. (7 oz.) of fresh cream, 2 tablespoons of grated parmigiano, salt and pepper until you have a thick cream.

4. Butter a ring-mold, cover its bottom with some buttered parchment paper and place in it 18 disks (3 cm./1.2 in. diameter) made with slices of bread that you have plunged into the cream mixture you prepared. Cover the external side of the mould with the stuffed artichokes.

5. Fill the mould with 175 gr. (6 oz.) of ricotta, half of the sliced and cooked artichokes and another layer of bread dipped into the cream.

6. Cover with other 175 gr. (6 oz.) of ricotta, the remaining sliced artichokes and a final layer of bread dipped into the cream.7. Cover the baking dish with a sheet of aluminum foil and cook for 50 minutes in the oven (170° Celsius, 338°F). Let sit for 10 minutes before unmolding, serve warm or hot garnished with some fried artichokes in the center.

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By Peg Kern

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