Maria’s Spaghetti with Tomato and Artichoke Sauce

From the Kelly Myers collection

Introduction

This recipe, from Faith Willinger’s book Red, White & Greens: The Italian Way with Vegetables, makes excellent use of prepared fresh artichokes.

Ingredients

	4	large artichokes, prepped and cut into 8 wedges
	¼	cup extra-virgin olive oil
	1	garlic clove, minced
	2	Tbsp. minced parsley
	1	Tbsp. plus 5 to 6 quarts water
	1½	cups tomato pulp
	~	Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
	14 to 16	oz. spaghetti
	¼	cup grated Parmigiano (optional)

Steps

1. Place artichoke wedges in a large nonstick skillet and drizzle with the olive oil. Stir to coat the artichokes and place over moderate heat. Cook the artichoke wedges for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly browned.
2. Add the garlic and parsley and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of water and cover the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes or until artichokes are tender. Raise the heat and cook to until the excess water has evaporated. Remove the artichokes with a slotted spoon to a food processor and pulse a few times to roughly chop.
3. Put the chopped artichokes back into the skillet with the tomato pulp. Cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly; season with salt and pepper.
4. Meanwhile, bring 5 or 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of salt and the pasta.
5. Cook the pasta until it still offers considerable resistance to the tooth, around three-quarters of the recommended cooking time on the package. Drain the pasta, reserving 2 cups of pasta cooking water.
6. Add the pasta and 1 cup pasta water to the skillet with the artichoke sauce and cook over high heat, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes or until pasta is done and the sauce coats pasta. Add more pasta water if sauce becomes too dry, ¼ cup at a time, to complete cooking. Serve with grated Parmigiano if desired.

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