10971 Pasta with Artichoke Pesto 20 mins 10 mins 4 servings (about 2 cups pesto) Fri Jul 20 12:57:00 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 13 16:45:32 -0700 2009 Easy Cal-Med CHOW http://www.chow.com/recipes/10971 Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:45:32 GMT Artichokes, basil, and ricotta combine for an easy sauce or quick dip Artichokes, basil, and ricotta combine for an easy pasta sauce or quick dip. Artichokes, ricotta, lemon, and herbs combine for a quick and elegant pesto. Toss it with pasta for an easy meal, or nix the pasta and pasta water to serve it as a dip with crackers.

What to buy: To avoid strange flavor combinations, look for canned artichoke hearts that are not seasoned (i.e., that are packed in water, not oil and herbs).

Any kind of short, tubular pasta or other small, shaped pasta will work in this dish. We especially like it with rigatoni.

Game plan: You can make this pesto in advance—just pull it out of the refrigerator and give it a quick stir right before you serve it. It will stay fresh, covered and refrigerated, for 1 week.

This recipe was featured as part of our Easy Weeknight Dinners photo gallery.

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  • Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
  • In a blender or food processor, purée artichoke hearts, ricotta, and olive oil until smooth (it will resemble hummus). Transfer to a nonreactive bowl and stir in lemon zest and basil; season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  • Cook pasta according to the package directions. When draining it, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water for the sauce.
  • Return drained pasta to the pot and place over medium heat; add artichoke pesto and reserved cooking water. Stir until cheese begins to melt and ingredients are thoroughly combined; serve immediately.

    • Beverage pairing: Hirsh Grüner Veltliner #1, Austria. They say artichokes are hard on wines, but Grüner always seems to do the trick. It packs its own lemon, mineral, and green herb flavors and a lot of sunny acidity to keep things lively.

    ]]>     http://www.chow.com/assets/2007/08/pasta_artichoke290x210.jpg Aida Mollenkamp 84 Pasta/Noodles 90 2 cups canned whole artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained, and halved (from 2 [14-ounce] cans)

    ]]>     1/2 cup fresh ricotta

    ]]>     1/4 cup olive oil

    ]]>     1 packed teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (from 1/2 medium lemon)**

    ]]>     67 1/3 cup packed finely minced basil leaves

    ]]>     1 pound dried pasta, such as rigatoni, ziti, penne rigate, conchigliette, or farfalle

    ]]>     183 pasta 752 euro 580 italian 384 easy 695 quick 7279 no brainer 1042 third date 7190 weeknight dinner 1043 houseguests 504 herbs 418 dairy 795 artichokes 2395 aida mollenkamp 435 vegetarian 89 starter 21 main 793 dip 1555 hors d'oeuvre 867 appetizer 20082 avacado 12873 low fat