Tag Archives: artichokes

No More Excuses

As many of you know, food is my love language. When I researched my last cookbook, I discovered 70 percent of American’s don’t cook. This absolutely amazed me! I want to help adjust that statistic! What if I told you that many meals can be made in 40 minutes or less, with healthy and unprocessed foods? We should all be concerned about the amount of processed food we eat. Studies have repeatedly shown the more processed food we consume, the less healthy we become. In less time that it takes to order takeout pizza and wait for delivery, we could have a much healthier and satisfying meal on the table for ourselves and loved ones.

To accomplish this, I will do my part by blogging two recipes per month to give you examples of how easy this can be accomplished. Stay tuned for these as we explore how easy it can be to cook healthy meals with very little prep.

SHRIMP, BEAN AND ARTICHOKE STEW

INGREDIENTS:

  • Zest from one lemon, plus juice from half a lemon
  • 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1 pound peeled, deveined large shrimp, tail removed
  • 2 large leeks, trimmed, halved lengthwise, white and light green parts sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, (1/2 stick)
  • 2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (homemade if possible)
  • 1 can whole artichokes, drained and cut in half vertically
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Combine lemon zest, paprika, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon each of salt and freshly cracked black pepper in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.
  2. In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. When butter is foaming, add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly pink, 2-3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to a plate; set aside.
  3. Add leeks, season with salt & pepper, and cook over medium heat until leeks are soft and starting to brown on the edges, 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans, artichokes and stock. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat and simmer 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in reserved shrimp and any juices from the plate, parsley and lemon juice. Garnish with additional chopped parsley.
  4. Serve in bowls with toasted bread. SO SIMPLE!!!

Serves 4

“Good food is often, even most often, simple food.” –Anthony Bourdain

Umami Explosion

I love pasta. I can typically put together a pasta dish in under 30 minutes. This dish came together with ingredients I routinely have in my refrigerator and pantry, which makes it super convenient. But the real deal is how incredibly delicious it was with only 5 ingredients. All those taste sensations are covered, salty pancetta, acidic lemon, and the richness of pecorino. This can easily be doubled to feed a crowd. Add a salad and a crunchy baguette and you have yourself a deeply satisfying meal. You won’t believe how rich it is without using cream.

Don’t use marinated artichokes for this recipe, as their flavor is too sharp and tangy. After draining the artichokes, make sure to pat them dry so they caramelize when added to the pot. Don’t forget to reserve about 2 cups of the cooked pasta water before draining the noodles. You will need it for pureeing the artichokes and building the sauce.

LINGUINE WITH ARTICHOKES, LEMON & PANCETTA

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 pound linguine or fettuccini
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more t serve
  • 4 ounces pancetta, chopped
  • 2 14-ounce cans artichoke hearts, drained, patted dry and quartered if whole
  • Zest from one lemon, plus 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 cup finely grated pecorino or Parmesan, plus more to serve
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, OR chives, OR basil

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Stir in the pasta and 1 tablespoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Reserve about 2 cups of cooking water, then drain.
  2. In the same pot over medium, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring, until crisp, about 3-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a small plate; set aside. Add the artichokes to the pot and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown at the edges, 3-4 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Transfer half the artichokes to a small bowl; add the remainder to a blender. Reserve the pot.
  3. To the artichokes in the blender, add 1/2 cup cooking water, the lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper; puree until smooth. In the same pot over medium, bring 1 cup of the remaining cooking water to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Add the artichoke puree, the pasta, lemon zest, pancetta, cheese and parsley. Cook, tossing to combine, just until the noodles are heated through, 1-2 minutes; add more reserved water as needed to make a silky sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the reserved artichokes, along with additional oil and pecorino or Parmesan.

Serves: 4-6

“Silence more musical than any song.” –Christina Rossetti

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