PASTA WITH ARTICHOKES

INTRODUCTION

This is a very delicately flavored dish which can be served either as a one-dish meal or as part of a menu based dinner party. A reasonably simple pasta, making it demands first class ingredients and effective seasoning: congratulate yourself when you master this dish and await the applause from your fellow diners. 

We suggest a lightly chilled Sauvignon white wine to accompany. 

Before starting we suggest you read Cooking Pasta and Preparing and cooking vegetables.

INGREDIENTS

6 fresh plump Italian violet artichokes
4 - 5 Tablespoons of best quality Olive Oil
1 large clove of garlic
1 large red onion
1 - 2 glasses of dry white wine
fine sea salt
freshly ground pepper
300 - 350 grams/10.5 - 12.5 oz of hard spaghetti (e.g. Barilla No. 5)
coarse sea salt for cooking the spaghetti
1 teaspoon of best quality Olive Oil
freshly grated mature pecorino romano cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare the artichokes as per Preparing and cooking vegetables. 

Peel the large clove of garlic, cut into 3 pieces and put to one side. 

Peel the red onion, coarsely slice and then finely chop with a mezzaluna. 

Heat the oil (best quality) over a moderate heat. Gently fry the garlic pieces on all sides until they are golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and discard. Add the red onion and gently fry until translucent. 

Meanwhile, using a colander, drain the prepared artichokes and dry on kitchen paper. Depending on size, cut a prepared artichoke into 10 - 14 pieces and add to the pan. Repeat for all the artichokes. 

Gently fry for 5 - 10 minutes, turning each piece over to ensure even cooking. If needs be remove any excess oil. 

Add the dry white wine, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 - 35 minutes. Taste for seasoning. 

Bring a large stock pot of salted water to a vigorous boil. 

Weigh the pasta and add to the water. Once the water has returned to a vigorous boil, time the cooking. Stir frequently during the cooking process. 

When the spaghetti is al-dente, drain into a colander and shake well to remove all the water. Pour a small amount of oil (best quality) into the serving dish. Add the cooked pasta and carefully toss. 

Add 90% of the artichoke sauce and toss the pasta well. Put the remaining sauce on top of the dish. 

Serve immediately, adding freshly grated pecorino romano at table.

COMMENTS

This is a delicate sauce - the ingredients must balance and enhance the flavor of the artichokes.

The artichokes used are 'Italian type' artichokes (the variety Violetta precoce is ideal): do not use globe artichokes or Jerusalem artichokes.

The artichokes should be sliced quite thinly - the sauce's cooking period greatly depends on the thickness of the artichoke slices and the freshness of the vegetables. Only consider making this sauce when artichokes are in season. If they have been cold-stored it is a toss up whether the sauce will work even after the artichokes are cooked for as long as 50 - 60 minutes.

The sauce should be clinging to the cooked artichokes when it is tossed in the spaghetti.

This pasta benefits from the addition at table of freshly grated pecorino romano. A cheese made from sheep's milk, mature pecorino makes a pleasant alternative to the more widely available grana cheeses made from cow's milk, of which the most famous is Parmigiano Reggiano. Always use freshly grated cheese, but remember pecorino romano has a sharper, more intense flavor than Parmigiano.