Jewish-Style Artichokes

A whole artichoke trimmed down to its tender heart and inner leaves, fried twice in olive oil until the leaves open like a bronze flower and crackle when touched: carciofi alla giudia is the signature dish of Rome's Jewish quarter, served in the trattorias around the Portico d'Ottavia since at least the sixteenth century, when the ghetto was walled in and its cooks made the most of what was cheap. The artichoke is the Roman cimarolo or mammola, a round, purple-tinged variety with no choke, harvested from February to April, which is why the dish is a late-winter and spring food and why a version served in August is a frozen one. It is distinct from carciofi alla romana, which are braised with mint and garlic and arrive soft; alla giudia is about the fat and the crunch, and it is eaten with the fingers.