Artichokes in olive oil
The classic Italian carciofini sott'olio, the backbone of any antipasti board. Preparation is mostly patient trimming, but the preserving technique reduces to one safety rule: the artichokes must be acidified and completely dry before the oil goes on. There is no oxygen under oil, and water from under-dried low-acid vegetables is exactly where botulism bacteria can grow. Which is why they are boiled in vinegar, dried for a full hour and kept in the fridge.
Your own work in that: 20 min.
- Trimming the artichokes 30 min
- Boiling in vinegar 20 min
- Drying 60 min
- Jarring 20 min
Step by step
0 / 8 donePrepare a bowl of lemon water
Fill a large bowl with water and squeeze in the juice of three lemons, dropping in the halves too. Artichoke blackens on contact with air within a minute — every trimmed piece goes straight into this water.
Ingredients: 12 pcs artichokes · 3 pcs lemons · 2000 ml water
Trim ruthlessly down to pale leaves
Pull off the outer leaves until only pale yellow ones, soft at the base, remain. Usually two-thirds of the artichoke goes and it looks wasteful — but tough leaves never soften in vinegar.
Ingredients: 12 pcs artichokes · 3 pcs lemons · 2000 ml water
Trim to the pale leaves — tough ones never soften.Scoop out the choke
Halve the artichoke and scrape out the hairy choke with a teaspoon. Very young artichokes have none yet, but in larger ones this is essential — the choke is prickly and no amount of cooking softens it.
Ingredients: 12 pcs artichokes · 3 pcs lemons · 2000 ml water
Boil in vinegar and water, half and half
Bring the vinegar, water, salt, bay and pepper to a boil (about 5 minutes), add the drained artichokes and cook 12–15 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Add the garlic slices for the last 2 minutes so they take up acid too. The vinegar is a preservative here, not a seasoning — it lowers the pH of the vegetables and, together with the fridge, keeps the preserve safe.
Ingredients: 500 ml wine vinegar · 500 ml water · 1 tbsp salt · 2 pcs bay leaves · 1 tsp peppercorns
Half vinegar, half water — this is what acidifies the artichokes.Weigh them down with a saucer
The artichokes float — hold them under with a saucer so they cook evenly. Pieces standing above the liquid stay tough and take up no acid, which spoils both flavour and safety.
Ingredients: 500 ml wine vinegar · 500 ml water · 1 tbsp salt · 2 pcs bay leaves · 1 tsp peppercorns
Dry cut side down for an hour
Drain and lay the artichokes (and garlic) cut side down on a clean cloth for a full hour. This is the most important step in the recipe — water beneath oil creates the conditions in which botulism bacteria grow.
Ingredients: 500 ml wine vinegar · 500 ml water · 1 tbsp salt · 2 pcs bay leaves · 1 tsp peppercorns
An hour cut side down — no water may go under the oil.Pack tightly with the aromatics
Pack the artichokes into sterilised jars tightly, layering with garlic, thyme, peppercorns and chilli flakes. Tightly — loosely packed they float and stand above the oil, where they mould within days.
Ingredients: 500 ml olive oil · 4 cloves garlic · 4 pcs thyme · ½ tsp chilli flakes · 1 tsp peppercorns
Cover with oil and release the bubbles
Pour in oil to 1 cm above the artichokes and run a knife down the sides of the jar to release trapped air. Close, refrigerate and check the oil level after a day — it usually needs topping up.
Ingredients: 500 ml olive oil · 4 cloves garlic · 4 pcs thyme · ½ tsp chilli flakes · 1 tsp peppercorns
Before you start
Safety comes first
Vegetables under oil are among the home preserves that demand particular care. There are three conditions: acid from vinegar, the complete absence of water, and cold. Store in the fridge only, never the pantry, and discard any jar with a bulging lid, gas bubbles in the oil or an unpleasant smell.
Small artichokes, not large
Italians often use egg-sized artichokes, which have no choke yet and can be preserved whole. Large ones need laborious trimming and leave relatively little once pared down.
Up to a month in the fridge
Eat them within a month, kept in the fridge and always under oil. Use a clean fork to take them out. The oil sets and clouds when cold — normal; just take the jar out an hour before serving. The flavoured oil left behind is excellent in salads.