I hadn’t made this is ages. There was a year when I lived in Paris and got the idea for this dish from my pall Judith when I made it constantly. It is the ultimate pantry dish–you can have it all sitting around the house, waiting to be made, for ages. I was driven–driven I say!–to make this last night. I used homemade marinated baby artichokes, which upped the yummers factor by a fair amount, but it’s good with just regular canned (not marinated, my homemade marinated are more like the canned ones in many ways) artichoke hearts, too.
One of my favorite things about this dish–besides its essential pantry nature–is how good it is lukewarm and even cold leftover. Just as good! Seriously. It just sort of morphs into a pasta salad.
3/4 lb. fusilli
2 or 3 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 Tbsp. capers, rinsed and minced
1/2 to 1 tsp. pickled green peppercorns (optional), extremely minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup white wine
about 1/2 cup brine from canned artichoke hearts
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
parmesan cheese, parsley (optional), black pepper
Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve about a cup of the cooking liquid, drain, and set aside. Return pot to heat. Heat olive oil. Cook garlic, capers, pepper flakes, and peppercorns until fragrant, about a minute. Add wine and brine and cook until almost completely evaporated. Add reserved pasta water, artichokes, and pasta. Cook until heated through. Toss in a bunch of parmesan cheese, chopped parsley if you have it (I didn’t last night), and pepper to taste. Serve topped with cheese. Feel very clever for not having had to go to the store.
We also crammed a whole lot of this tomato mozzarella basil platter down our gullets. Yes, we had just had a similar dish the night before, but it’s that time of year when nothing tastes as good. Especially in this oppressive heat after painting walls all day (yes, I’m still at it).
Friday Food Files With Molly Watson: Preserving Artichokes. | weloveyourwalls design blog | 24-Apr-09 at 7:04 am | Permalink
[...] of sixteen.Whether you care to put up your own artichokes or buy the canned variety, try this Artichoke and Caper Pasta for a quick dinner from ingredients that, if you’re anything like me, you already have in the [...]