Cooking Recipe Rigatoni With Creamy Artichoke Sauce
Recipe Ingredients
Directions
Prepare artichokes by bending back the outer leaves until they snap
off. The edible bit at the end should remain on the heart, which you
will cook for the sauce, When all the tough leaves have been snapped
off, and only the tenderest ones remain, trim them with a knife:
First strip the stem of its tough skin, trim the base, and cut off
the sharp top of the tender inner leaves. You now have artichoke
hearts. Cut each heart into quarters and trim the inner choke away,
then place the quarters in a saucepan with water to cover. Mix in the
flour and add the lemon halves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook
a few minutes until artichoke quarters are al dente. Remove from
heat, drain, discard the lemon and let artichokes cool. (This may be
done up to 3 days ahead.) Dice artichoke quarters and set aside.
Lightly saute the onion and garlic in the butter. When softened, add
the diced artichokes and cook for a few minutes. Add broth and bring
to a boil; reduce heat and simmer several minutes until artichokes
are quite tender. Add cream and cook through, until sauce is
thickened. Season with pepper. Salt is unlikely to be needed because
both broth and Parmesan are salty. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain
and toss with sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.
Variation: For a lemony, olivey sauce rather than a creamy one, omit
cream and add 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped parsley, 5 to 10 pitted and
halved Kalamata olives, and a teaspoon or 2 of capers to the broth,
along with artichokes. Cook down until reduced by about half, then
add a squeeze of lemon. Serve on a thin pasta such as spaghetti.
Serves 4 to 6.