Crunchy Artichoke Hearts with Spinach Tagliatelle
by meike peters
I had three artichokes left from Emma’s wonderful gift from Malta, where they are already in season. I kept them to cook a meal which I usually enjoy in late summer, artichoke fried with onion and garlic mixed with pasta. I remove their leaves and use just their heart and stem, cut into thin slices as opposed to the bigger, round ones which have thicker, fleshy leaves, perfect to dip into dressings and nibble on, also a summer treat I look forward to!
As soon as the leaves have been removed from the artichoke, this meal is really quick to cook. First I prepared the three vegetables which are enough for a dinner for 3. When you pull the leaves off and cut out the fine hair, you can keep the artichoke heart and stem in a bowl with water and half a lemon. This keeps them from changing their colour as you continue preparing the rest of them. I didn’t do this as I don’t mind.
I went for Delverde Tagliatelle Agli Spinaci (around 300g / 10.5 ounces) to bring in some colour and cooked them al dente while I prepared the artichokes. First I fried 1 finely chopped onion and 1 crushed garlic in some olive oil in a large pan until golden and soft. I added the finely sliced artichoke and fried it until golden brown on all sides. I deglazed it with some white wine, seasoned with salt and pepper and let it cook for a few minutes. When the tagliatelle were done, I poured some of the water I used for cooking the pasta over the artichokes, mixed in the pasta and seasoned everything with salt and black pepper to taste.
Do you use the artichoke leaves in a different preparation? It always seems like such a waste to me to cut away and discard all of the delicious meat on the leaves…
Hi Sarah, for this recipe I just use the tiny long shaped artichokes, they don’t really have meat on the leaves. I agree with you, that would be a waste. When I cook the bigger round artichokes I dip their fleshy leaves into dressings, but there’s not much to nibble on the small ones.
Such a beautiful dish! Your photos are fantastic, Meike. Artichokes are on my to-cook-soon list. This is a great recipe to use them.
Thank you Mila!