I like to use fresh artichoke hearts and cardoons because, well, I grow them and I actually like the process of turning artichokes and prepping cardoons. But the easy alternative is to use pickled or preserved artichokes. No cardoons? Use celery.
10 to 16small artichokes,or that many preserved artichoke hearts
1poundcardoons,or 1/2 pound celery stalks
Juice of 2 or 3 lemons
1/4cupflour
1tablespoonolive oil
MEATBALLS
1/2poundground meat
1teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonblack pepper
1egg
1/2cupbreadcrumbs
2teaspoonsdried oregano
2tablespoonsminced fresh parsley
1teaspoonminced garlic
1teaspoondried lovage(optional)
TO FINISH
Oil for browning the meatballs
2quartspheasant or low-sodium chicken broth
3garlic cloves,sliced very thin
1/4cupchopped parsley
3tablespoonsminced chives
Parmesan or pecorino cheese for grating
Instructions
Prep the Artichokes. If you are using fresh artichokes and/or cardoons, get a big bowl of cool water ready. Pour about half the lemon juice in it, and keep the squeezed lemons handy. If you are using fresh artichokes, you will want to pull off most of the leaves, until you get to the tender yellow part. Slice off the end of the stem, leaving a little, and then the top of the tender leaves. Rub everything with the lemon. Slice the artichoke in half and use a paring knife to scrape out any fibrous "choke." If you are using preserved artichokes, you're good to go for the moment. If you are using cardoons, you will want to strip all the leaves off them and peel the larger strings off the stalks the way you might do with celery stalks. Cut them into pieces you'd want to eat with a spoon in soup and drop them into the bowl with the lemon water.
Bring a large pot of water to a simmer. As the water is heating up, whisk in the flour until it dissolves with no lumps; this helps preserve color. Add the other half of the lemon juice and the olive oil, plus a healthy pinch of salt. Watch the pot, as the flour in it will make everything want to boil over. Once you are at a nice simmer, add all the cardoon pieces and artichokes. Simmer until everything's reasonably tender, between 15 and 30 minutes. You want there to be a little al dente bite left in the thistles. Turn off the heat and let them sit in the water for the moment.
Prep the Meatballs. The moment you drop the cardoons and artichokes into your simmering water, put all the meatball ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Form little meatballs -- remember these are for soup, so two bites is maximum size, at least for me -- and set them on a tray. There's a good chance you'll be done making meatballs when the cardoons and artichokes are ready.
Pour a few tablespoons of olive oil into a large pan and brown the meatballs. Set them on a paper towel to drain when they're done. Note that there's no need to cook the meatballs all the way through yet. You just want them nicely browned.
Finish the Soup. Now you're ready to put the soup together. Heat the broth in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic cloves. Drain the artichokes and cardoons, rinse briefly, and add them to the soup. Add the meatballs. Note: If you're using preserved artichoke hearts and celery stalks, now is the time to put them into the soup. Let everything simmer very gently -- no boiling, or the soup will get cloudy -- for 5 minutes, then add the chopped parsley and chives. Let this cook another minute, then serve with grated pecorino or parmesan cheese over everything.
Notes
One thing that will move this recipe from good to great is good, homemade broth. Pheasant, chicken, wild turkey broth -- whatever you choose, it will be better in most cases than anything you can buy. If you can't find small artichokes, reduce the number to one per person, and quarter the hearts.