Primavera in Italy means one thing: artichoke season. We’re welcoming spring with a Gusti un-recipe, a no-cook, no-sweat, no-fuss carciofi salad. The tender, melt-in-your-mouth grilled artichoke hearts are married to creamy + delicate cannellini and dressed up with paper thin slivers of the umami powerhouse mullet bottarga.
Farmer Franco Vastola did all the work for us here. On his Maida farm, he grew an heirloom artichoke variety local to Cilento. He harvested them at peak ripeness and blanched them with water and lemon (no ascorbic acid!). He cleaned away all those pesky, tough leaves (raise your hand if you love artichokes as much as you hate cleaning them). Finally, he halved and grilled them before preserving them with local herbs and local extra virgin olive oil.
Each bite of artichoke makes cannellini beans taste even sweeter, while the shavings of mullet bottarga give a savory undertone to the whole dish. Toss everything together with an extra drizzle of bold, grassy Quinta Luna EVOO and let the flavors mingle; each ingredient will bring out the best in one another without being overpowering. Spring bliss.
