Top | Kelly Myers
Maria’s Spaghetti with Tomato and Artichoke Sauce
(recipe, Kelly Myers)
Introduction
This recipe, from Faith Willinger's book [%bookLink code=0060183667 "Red, White & Greens: The Italian Way with Vegetables"], makes excellent use of prepared fresh artichokes.
Ingredients
- 4 large artichokes, prepped and cut into 8 wedges
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 Tbsp. minced parsley
- 1 Tbsp. plus 5 to 6 quarts water
- 1½ cups tomato pulp
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 14 to 16 oz. spaghetti
- ¼ cup grated Parmigiano (optional)
Steps
- Place artichoke wedges in a large nonstick skillet and drizzle with the olive oil. Stir to coat the artichokes and place over moderate heat. Cook the artichoke wedges for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly browned.
- Add the garlic and parsley and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of water and cover the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes or until artichokes are tender. Raise the heat and cook to until the excess water has evaporated. Remove the artichokes with a slotted spoon to a food processor and pulse a few times to roughly chop.
- Put the chopped artichokes back into the skillet with the tomato pulp. Cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly; season with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, bring 5 or 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of salt and the pasta.
- Cook the pasta until it still offers considerable resistance to the tooth, around three-quarters of the recommended cooking time on the package. Drain the pasta, reserving 2 cups of pasta cooking water.
- Add the pasta and 1 cup pasta water to the skillet with the artichoke sauce and cook over high heat, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes or until pasta is done and the sauce coats pasta. Add more pasta water if sauce becomes too dry, ¼ cup at a time, to complete cooking. Serve with grated Parmigiano if desired.