Roman-style braised artichokes (Carciofi alla romana)

1. Squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl of cold water (drop the halves in too) - put the prepared artichokes in this so they don't turn brown.

2. Pull off the tough outer leaves of the artichokes until you reach the pale green, tender inner leaves; cut 3-4 cm off the top, trim the stalks to 5 cm and peel them, scoop out the hairy choke with a teaspoon, then put them in the lemon water.

3. Finely chop the mint leaves, parsley and garlic and mix with salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

4. Drain the artichokes, open out the leaves a little and press the herb mixture into the centre and between the leaves.

5. Stand them upside down, stalks up, tightly packed in a narrow, deep pan, drizzle with the remaining oil, pour in the wine and enough water to come halfway up, season with salt, cover and cook over low heat for 25-30 minutes until a knife slides easily into the base.

6. Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzled with their reduced cooking juices.

Tip: In Rome they use a wild mint called "mentuccia", milder than peppermint - add a pinch of dried oregano to ordinary mint to get closer to the original.