Lemon Butter, Artichoke Heart Pasta
Nothing says “You’re special to me” than an artichoke.
You’ll see what I mean when you read the recipe and watch the video. It’s a pretty straight forward dish. What takes time, and care and love and labour is the artichoke.
You’ll need a pair of scissors, a vegetable peeler or a small pairing knife and a sharp, large, chef’s knife. (Don’t worry, it’s a lot of instructions but it’s not quantum physics. You can do it!)
That being said, can you use canned artichoke bottoms instead? Absolutely. Knock yourself out. Is it half as good or special or flavourful? Not by a mile, in my opinion. There’s something special about knowing your way around an artichoke. I cannot recommend enough you develop this skill. Just make sure you do it on a leisurely weekend with a relaxing glass of wine by your side. As previously mentioned, this is an act of labour and patience.
The cheese I call for is Pecorino. I love how salty and umami it is. It gives the entire dish depth of flavour and a beautiful mouthfeel. If you can’t find it, Grana Padano will do. A third last option is of course Parmegiano Regiano.
The pasta dish itself, only requires the artichoke hearts and bottoms, though PLEASE do not throw away the leafs. They make for a wonderful appetizer or snack. You can dip them in straight forward salad dressing or make a quick yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice and salt dip. Anyone around you waiting for pasta time will be thrilled to be presented with this little teaser for the main attraction.
Ingredients (Feeds 4):
5 whole, fresh artichokes
5 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
100g Pecorino Romano cheese (You can substitute with Grana Padano if you wish)
1/2 cup parsley stems (finely chopped)
2 cups parsley leafs (finely chopped)
1 stick of butter
1 tbsp chile flake
1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil (Plus more for finishing on top)
1 cup of water with 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar.
The juice of two large lemons
1 pack of fresh spaghetti (450g or 16oz)
Kosher salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
Instructions:
To prep your artichokes, have a bowl with water and vinegar or lemon juice already in stand by.
With a sharp chef’s knife, start by cutting the tops of the artichokes. Aim to cut the first couple of inches off the top. Discard them.
Once the top of the flower is exposed, dip it in the acid / water mixture. This will prevent it from oxidising and turning dark.
Using scissors, trim the tops of all leafs where the thorns are. Careful not to get stung!
Using a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler, start peeling the outer layer of the stem, where it connects with the artichoke flower. You’ll find that the outer layer is tougher and more fibrous. the center of the stem is lighter in color and more tender. That’s the part that’s edible.
Prepare one large pot (or two, if they don’t fit) and fill 1/4 of the way with water. Place all artichokes standing on their tall stems, so only the bottom part of the stem is covered in water. This will allow them to steam evenly.
Season the inside of the artichoke with salt (to taste) before steaming. Try wiggling the leafs a bit so that more salt can fall through the cracks.
Place the pot(s) on a medium flame, covered for 45 mins.
Ten minutes before the artichokes are ready, prepare your garlic and parsley stems, chopping them finely.
In a large skillet or pot, melt your butter with the tbsp of olive oil. Once it’s fully melted and foamy, add the garlic, parsley stems & chile flake. Let them fry in the butter in low heat for 5 to 8 minutes.
Once the garlic, butter and stems are fragrant and translucent, add your lemon juice. Mix well, reduce the heat as much as possible and let reduce.
After 45 mins, place the artichokes to rest in a bowl so they can cool down.
Bring another large pot of water to a boil.
Once they’re cool enough to handle, with your hands, start tearing all the leaves and reserve them in another bowl, (These are an amazing appetizer for anyone who’s waiting for pasta time! Serve them with a greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice & chile flake dip).
Once you’ve peeled away all the leaves, you’ll see the leaves become purple in colour, and smaller, more delicate. These purple leaves have thorns a the top, so beware! Avoiding the very top, and grabbing them all by the middle firmly, pull all of them to the side, and you’ll see they all come off in one piece, revealing a very fibrous centre, This is the choke. With a small spoon, scoop out these fibres and discard them. This is another opportunity to trim the stem part, so that in the end you're left with the very thin, edible centre. This alongside the concave, flower bud looking piece is what we’ll eat and slice in 1 inch pieces. Repeat the procedure with the rest of the artichokes.
Once all artichoke hearts and bottoms are prepped and sliced, add them to your lemon butter pot and fry them for 5 minutes in medium flame.
To your boiling water pot, add 1/4 cups of salt and then add your spaghetti. Let it cook for 4 to 5 minutes in the water.
After the 5 minutes, using metal tongs, transfer the pasta onto the lemon butter & artichoke pot. You’ll want quite a bit of pasta water to also carry over to the second pot. This will help a lot with texture.
Mix the pasta and the artichokes energetically and add the shredded Pecorino cheese. Mix again well, making sure the entire pot is moving energetically.
You’ll see the entire thing looking a bit dry. Keep a cup of your pasta water and start adding to the mix, continuing to mix thoroughly. You’ll see that with the cheese and pasta water, the liquid becomes creamy in texture and the sauce begins to cling to the noodle. Do this as many times as it’s necessary (you’ll need more pasta water than you think! Even when the pot starts looking too watery, take your time to stop and continue mixing the pasta well with the tongs. The texture will eventually transform, thanks to the heat, the starch and the fat).
When you’ve reached the desired texture in the dish, (Usually after 5 or 8 minutes of mixing), add your chopped parsley to the pot and give it one final mix before serving.
Plate the pasta on individual plates and top with more Pecorino cheese, fresh parsley leafs and a final glug of olive oil.
