That's right, more pumpkin! I was resisting posting this because the pictures do not do it justice, but it's so simple and so good, that I couldn't resist. My approach to cooking has always been simple. I believe that if you use a few really good quality ingredients that compliment each other, then that's all you need. It doesn't have to be fancy, or complicated. It just has to taste good. And if it's easy for you to make, well then that's just all the better, right?
I know that the artichokes tend to dominate this dish in the look of this dish, but really this is all about the pumkiny pasta. I made the artichokes because they are just so fantastic looking, both in their fresh prickly state in the store, and after you've stripped 'em down and fried 'em up. But if the artichokes seem like a bit too much work, just leave them out. The pasta is the star here.
As you know, I've been dreaming about pumpkin a lot lately, and I wanted to make sure I incorporated it into a more savory main dish. We can't let the desserts have all the fun. When I think of pumpkin, I think of the smooth, rich flavour and texture of the puree. Mixed with the ricotta, the flavour deepens and it creates a very unique, very simple, but extremely perfect pasta sauce. It's like grown up mac and cheese. I could eat bowls of this all day long.
Pumpkin & Ricotta Pasta
Brown rice rigatoni pasta (2 servings worth)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (I recommend making this at home for the best flavour. See this post to find out how.)
1/2 cup ricotta
Coarse sea salt
Chives as a garnish (optional)
Cook the pasta according to the instructions, until al dente. While the pasta is cooking mix together the pumpkin and ricotta and throw in a generous pinch of sea salt. Taste, and season more as desired. Drain the pasta, and toss with the sauce immediately. Serve hot with garnish if desired.
Garlic Braised Artichokes
6-8 baby artichokes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt & pepper
First, wash the artichokes. Then prepare a large bowl of cold water and lemon juice, to keep the artichokes from browning as you prep them. Cut off just a little bit at the stem or bottom of the artichoke. Baby artichokes don't usually have the hard prickly/fuzzy part at the bottom so this whole heart will be edible. Cut off the tops with a knife, about a half inch down from the top, and then peel back all the outside layers until you are left with the soft and tender artichoke heart. Halve or quarter the heart, so that they are in large bite sized chunks. Once you have finished one, pop it into the water while you move on to the next.
When the hearts are all ready, fill a sauce pan with about a cup of water so that there is an inch or so in the pan. Drain the artichokes from their lemon water, then add them to the pan and heat until boiling. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes. Drain the water completely, and return the pan to the heat. Adjust to medium-high, and add the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to the artichokes. Saute for roughly 5 minutes, until browned.
Serve the artichokes on top of the pasta on each dish, or mix together with the pasta and sauce so that it's all incorporated. It's good both ways, I taste tested it. A few times.
Eat, eat, eat!
No comments:
Post a Comment