ANTIPASTI III - Carciofi all'arancia

Carciofi all'arancia would probably translate to something like "a mouthful of fantastic flavors" or perhaps Artichokes as a centerpiece.... read and you will get it:

This is one of my inventions, easy to prepare and truly orgasmic!!!

Servings - 4
YOU WILL NEED:
4 - medium size artichokes
2 - garlic gloves
50 gr - chopped walnuts
100 gr - parma. cheese or percorino (grated)
Parsley (a good handful)
2 - large oranges
Balsamic cream (by Ponti)
Butter (tablespoon)
2 - tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

PREPARATION:
You will first need to clean and cut your artichokes and this is how you do it: I call it around the world. First cut the stem off the artichoke, the peal off the leaves around the lower rim then hold it in your hand and place your thumb about 30% from the bottom and with your other hand peal off the leaves by going around the artichoke one time. Now move your thumb up to 50% from the bottom and peal off the leaves once around and finally move your thumb up to 75% from the bottom and peal off the hard leaves going around once.
What you have remaining should be a cleaned and tender(exterior) of the artichoke. Now cut the artichoke in half. You will see a fuzzy like substance towards the lower center, with a teaspoon take out this fuzz. Now cut the halves into quarters. You need to do this for all 4 artichokes.

In a sauce pan, put your olive oil and your smashed and cut up garlic, let golden. Add the parsley (cut up naturally with your half-moon) and the artichokes. Cover and let simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes, then add about a generous tablespoon of your balsamic cream, a dash of salt and a bit of water then cover. Lower heat and let cook for approximately 20 minutes but be careful to add water so that they dont burn.

Take your big oranges, peal them and cut into to 1/2 inch slices (remove a small circle in the middle). Set them aside and with your chopped walnuts put them in a small sauce-pan with your butter and let them cook so that they become roasted.

At this point your artichokes will be done. Remove from the sauce pan and place on a bowl. In the same sauce pan on high heat add just a bit of olive oil and another tablespoon of your balsamic cream, when pan is hot add the orange slices and prepare as if you were preparing a piece of serloin... that is just a few minutes on each side. Dont overcook the oranges otherwise they become mushy and you DONT WANT THIS.

On dessert plates, take your bottle of Ponti Balsamic Cream and make a couple of circles (BE CREATIVE), place the orange slices on your balsamic design. Take 3-4 quarters of your artichokes and stand them in the middle of the oranges. Sprinkle your chopped walnuts on the top and then your grated cheese on top the walnuts.

Serve warm and ENJOY!