Today we had lunch with a nice pasta with artichoke sauce.
How I love artichokes! Imagine that I liked them even when I was a child, which is unusual for children (and proof of that are my kids! 😅) but, really, I like them and I’ve always liked all bitter vegetables, and even those that are bitter and very bitter! 😃
Artichokes are versatile in the kitchen, they fit perfectly in all dishes, appetizers, first courses, main courses, and side dishes, and they are excellent in any way they are cooked.
Here is the recipe for my pasta with artichoke sauce: the sauce is a classic artichoke sauce, learned directly from my mom, and therefore “alla Romagnola” with no room for doubt!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter and Spring
Ingredients
- 6.3 oz pasta (short)
- 2 artichokes (large, or 3 small)
- 14 oz canned peeled tomatoes (1 can)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Half onion (small)
- 1/4 cup white wine
- chopped parsley
- black pepper (or chili pepper)
- Pan with lid
- Pasta Pot
Steps
Clean and wash the artichokes (for details, refer to the simple explanations you can find in the introduction of the collection of artichoke recipes).
Cut the artichokes and stems into pieces. The size of the pieces is at your discretion.
Chop the onion and sauté it in a frying pan with a little oil.
Add the artichokes, stir, pour in 1/4 cup of white wine and let it evaporate.
Cover the pan with the lid and let the artichokes wilt for a few minutes, then add the tomato purée (I used peeled tomatoes blended in the mixer).
Cook the sauce with the lid on over low heat for at least half an hour, preferably 40 minutes, depending on how cooked you like the tomato.
At the end, just before draining the pasta, uncover and thicken the sauce over high heat.
While the sauce is cooking, bring the water to a boil and when it boils (or when the pasta cooking time requires), add the pasta.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it and toss it in the pan with the sauce, adding a sprinkle of pepper and freshly chopped parsley at the moment.
Serve immediately and enjoy your meal!
Note ☝ For this recipe, you can use your preferred pasta. The green color of the pasta you see in the photos has sometimes sparked amusing comments 😃 but I assure you that it is a very common type of pasta, ‘olive leaves’, which in this case is green because of the spinach. I also have another recipe made with this type of pasta, in that case, it was the multicolor version, if you’d like to take a look you can find it at this link –> Olive leaves with sun-dried tomatoes and breadcrumbs.
And now let me show you my artichoke sauce here (a somewhat dated photo, but which I will update sooner or later):
As you can see from the photo, the artichokes here were in small pieces, while in the previous photo of the pasta with artichoke sauce I had left the artichokes in larger pieces. Small pieces or large pieces, the goodness is the same. 😉
1. The artichoke sauce can be frozen. Freezing a sauce is always a great solution to have a reserve for daily “lunch emergencies”, or to speed up the making of Sunday lasagna. 😉
2. Yes indeed, here’s my second advice: use this artichoke sauce not only to dress pasta but also to make artichoke lasagna! In our house, they are very popular, have you ever tried them? (Take a look right away HERE! ) 😋
Tips Without Salt
If it’s your first time here and you don’t know that I cook without salt, I invite you to read the article where I share my experience: Cooking Without Salt, My Journey and I wish you a good meal, greeting you as always with my tips in pills:
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Decrease salt gradually, the palate must get used to it slowly and should not notice the progressive reduction.
▫ Use spices. Chili pepper, black pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▫ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▫ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▫ Use spicy vegetables or fruits. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid cooking in water, prefer cooking that doesn’t disperse flavors (grill, foil, steam, microwave)
▫ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▫ Allow yourself an occasional exception to the rule. It’s good for mood and helps perseverance.
If you do not want to, or cannot, give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
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