Monday, September 23, 2013

Eating Whole Foods: Shells with Artichokes, Peas & Proscuitto


By: The Food Hunter
I'm usually not a creamy pasta sauce kinda girl.  Laden any shape pasta with something tomato based and I'm happy as a lark; but I decided to try something different.  Break out of the box if you will...who knows I might like it....and believe it or not I did. Silky smooth and extremely flavorful I will definitely make this recipe again.
 So who wants to win a $25 Whole Foods Market gift card?  Scroll down for details.
Shells with Artichokes, Peas & Proscuitto
Shells with Artichokes, Peas & Prosciutto 
(printable recipe)
4 cups of water mixed with the juice of 1 1/2 lemons (reserve other half for another use)
1 can artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp kosher or fine sea salt
1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups thawed frozen peas
3/4 cups  heavy/double cream
1 to 2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into julienne strips
1 lb dried medium pasta shells
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Add the artichoke hearts to the lemon water in a bowl.

In the meantime bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt generously.

Warm the olive oil, garlic, and onion in a large frying pan placed over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, for a minute or so, or until the garlic and onion are fragrant. Drain the artichokes, reserving 1/2 cup of the lemon water. Add the artichokes to the pan, along with the salt, thyme, and a few grinds of pepper. Pour the reserved lemon water over the artichokes. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let the artichokes cook at a gentle simmer for a few minutes. Uncover, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook until only about 1/8 cup of the liquid remains.

Stir in the peas and cook for about 1 minute, or until they are bright green. Add the cream, reduce the heat to medium-low, and ck for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Turn off the heat, stir in the prosciutto, and cover to keep warm.

Add the pasta to the boiling water, stir to separate, and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander set in the sink, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water.

Transfer the pasta to the frying pan and gently toss the pasta and sauce to combine thoroughly, adding a splash or two of the cooking water if necessary to loosen the sauce. Sprinkle in half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and gently toss again. Transfer the dressed pasta to shallow individual bowls and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Serve immediately.

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10 comments:

  1. Yummy! We do this with bacon, peas and angel hair pasta.
    Julie B.

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  2. Red sauce is my favorite but this is one recipe I am going to make.

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  3. I use red sauce most often, but I love creamy! I also like to use both a bechemel and a tomato sauce when I make lasagna, including veggie lasagna.

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  4. It depends but I usually like creamy

    ReplyDelete