Orecchiette With Braised Artichokes Recipes

ORECCHIETTE WITH ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 3/4 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the artichokes and season with salt. Cook, turning halfway through, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the garlic and beans to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cherry tomatoes, red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
• Add the pasta and the reserved cooking water to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until the pasta is coated, about 1 minute. Stir in the parsley, parmesan and artichokes; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle each serving with olive oil and top with more parmesan.

LEMON BRAISED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Bring 1/2 cup each water and white wine, two 9-ounce packages frozen artichoke hearts, 3 wide strips lemon zest and 2 tablespoons each lemon juice and olive oil to a simmer in a large skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring halfway through, until the artichokes are tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover and add 2 minced garlic cloves and 2 tablespoons each olive oil and chopped parsley and mint. Cook, stirring, until the garlic softens, 1 to 2 more minutes.

BRAISED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Cut each of the artichokes in half; remove the toughest outer leaves, use a spoon to remove the choke, and trim the bottom.
• Put 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When it melts and foam subsides, add artichokes, cut side down. Cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add stock (it should come about halfway up the sides of the artichokes), bring to a boil, and cover; turn heat to medium-low. Cook for about 20 minutes or until tender, checking every 5 or 10 minutes to make sure there is enough liquid in the pan, adding more stock as necessary. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and transfer artichokes to serving platter.
• Raise heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to a sauce. Stir in lemon zest and juice and remaining tablespoon butter; taste and adjust seasoning. Serve artichokes drizzled with sauce.

ORECCHIETTE PASTA SALAD WITH ARTICHOKES AND GRILLED VEGGIES

Steps:

• Thinly slice the onion, red pepper, zucchini and mushrooms. Heat olive oiI in a large saute pan -- add onions, cooking until softened, then add garlic, red pepper, mushrooms and zucchini -- continue to cook until lightly coloured.
• Drain and quarter the artichoke hearts.
• Stir the grilled veggies and the remaining ingredients (except tomatoes and additional dressing) into the cold cooked pasta -- mix well.
• Place into a container with a lid and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
• When ready to serve, refresh with additional 1/4 cup of salad dressing and garnish with quartered cherry tomatoes.
• Notes:
• The salad dressing is the most recognizable flavour so make sure you're confident with the taste -- you can make your own with a light tasting olive oil, lemon juice (or white balsamic), dijon mustard and your choice of herbs, but I find Kraft's Classic Herb is perfect for pasta salads.
• As I cook with cheeses so frequently, I stock my fridge/freezer with one-cup baggies filled with a blend of shredded imported Italian white cheeses (asiago, provolone, pecorino romano and parmegiana reggiano). You can easily substitute crumbled feta, but it will completely change the flavour. Also, as these cheeses are quite salty, I rarely add table salt to my recipes.

ORECCHIETTE WITH ARTICHOKES AND BACON

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Once it is boiling, plop in the orecchiette and cook until al dente.
• Clean and prepare the artichokes as detailed on page 18. Then cut all of the artichokes into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and leave in the water while you start the sauce.
• Put the bacon, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and the crushed garlic in a large straight-sided skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon until most of the fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Drain the artichokes, pat dry, and add to the skillet along with the juice of the remaining lemon. Season with the salt and peperoncino. Cover, and let the artichokes cook gently until they begin to soften and caramelize, about 10 minutes. Uncover, and add about 1 cup pasta water, then bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the artichokes are tender, about 10 minutes more.
• When the pasta is al dente, scoop it out of the water and add to the sauce. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and add the chopped parsley. Cook, tossing to coat the pasta with the sauce. Remove from heat, sprinkle with the grated Pecorino Romano, and toss. Serve.

ORECCHIETTE WITH MUSHROOMS & ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package instructions.
• While pasta is cooking, heat oil in saute pan.
• Saute garlic and peppers for 2 minutes.
• Stir in mushrooms and cook until tender.
• Add artichoke hearts and parsley and cook until heated through.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon vegetable mixture over drained pasta and toss.
• Spoon onto platter and sprinkle with cheese and nuts.
• Serve with meat of your choice, warm bread or rolls and a simple salad of tomatoes with onions or make it a "meatless" meal.

QUICK BRAISED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Cut each artichoke lengthwise into quarters, through the stem. Using a spoon, remove the fuzzy choke from the heart of each quarter, and immediately squeeze juice from one of the lemon halves over all artichokes to prevent them from discoloring.
• Place all the ingredients, including the remaining lemon half, into a large saucepan; fill with enough cold water to cover artichokes. Cover pan, and bring the water to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook just until artichoke hearts can be pierced with a fork but are not too soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and let artichokes sit in cooking liquid until ready to serve, up to 10 minutes. Transfer carefully to serving plates with a slotted spoon, allowing excess liquid to drain off.

ORECCHIETTE WITH BRAISED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Clean the artichokes as described for fully edible artichokes, page 15, putting the pieces in water acidulated with the lemon juice as you go. When all the artichokes are cleaned, drain them thoroughly and slice them very thin.
• Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Scatter the garlic over the oil and cook, shaking the pan, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the artichokes and crushed red pepper and season lightly with salt. Stir well to coat the artichokes with oil, and cook, stirring often, until the artichokes are softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour in 1 cup of the chicken stock, add the mint and parsley, and lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer. Cook until the artichokes are very tender and the liquid is reduced by about half, about 10 minutes more. Add the remaining stock as necessary to keep the artichokes moist as they cook.
• Stir the orecchiette into the boiling water. Return to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta, semi-covered, stirring occasionally, until done, 8 to 10 minutes.
• If the skillet is large enough to accommodate the sauce and pasta, fish the pasta out of the boiling water with a large wire skimmer and drop it directly into the sauce in the skillet. If not, drain the pasta, return it to the pot, and pour in the sauce. Bring the sauce and pasta to a boil, stirring to coat the pasta with sauce. Check the seasoning, adding salt if necessary. Pour in a drizzle of olive oil, if you like. Remove the skillet from the heat, sprinkle the grated cheese over the pasta, and toss to mix. Serve immediately in warm bowls.