TROFIE WITH ARTICHOKE CREAM are a delicate, yet truly delicious, first course that is perfect for a festive lunch with family or friends, including vegetarians. It’s a simple dish to prepare, as you’ll see, combining two typical products of Liguria: Genovese trofie and the famous artichoke. Naturally, today we can prepare it anywhere, even with artichokes not from Albenga (I, for example, used Romanesco artichokes, perhaps a little less flavorful, but very tender).
The goodness of this pasta lies in the perfect combination of well-cooked, pureed artichokes and spreadable fresh cheese: the artichokes give the unmistakable flavor, while the cheese adds extraordinary creaminess that perfectly coats the small traditional trofie. A sprinkle of pepper and the indispensable parsley (which pairs really well with artichokes) complete the dish, delighting even the most refined palates.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring
Ingredients
- 18 oz trofie (Genovese pasta)
- 3 mammole artichokes
- 5 oz spreadable fresh cheese (cream cheese)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 glass white wine
- 1 glass water
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- to taste parsley
Steps
The preparation of TROFIE WITH ARTICHOKE CREAM is simple and quick.
Trim most of the stems from the artichokes, then peel the remaining part and remove the tougher outer leaves. Cut them in half and remove the inner choke. Then cut into wedges and immediately place them in acidulated water with lemon juice for a few minutes to prevent oxidation.
In a large skillet add a generous drizzle of oil and the garlic, and lightly brown. Add the well-drained artichokes and cook over high heat for 5 minutes.
Deglaze with the wine and, once the alcohol has evaporated, season with salt and pepper. Add some water and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. When tender, remove from the heat, let cool slightly and transfer to a blender jar along with the cooking liquid or some water.
Blend until you obtain a smooth, homogeneous cream.
Place the artichoke cream back into the skillet used for cooking, add the spreadable fresh cheese and warm gently over low heat for 1 minute to combine the flavors.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water. When almost al dente, drain the pasta into the skillet with the sauce, add a ladleful of the pasta cooking water, and toss the trofie to emulsify. Turn off the heat and add the parsley.
Plate the trofie with artichoke cream and serve piping hot.
