Sunday, March 01, 2009

What’s Cooking Sunday: Artichoke and Chick Pea Pasta

With frugality being the operative word these days, I've been trying to use up ingredients that I've bought and stored in the pantry "just in case". I open the door and pull out three random ingredients and make a meal with them. Sometimes it's a good experience, and other times, well... not so much. This time was a big hit. The three main ingredients were:

frozen artichokes
a can of chick peas, and
a box of whole wheat rotini pasta.



Artichoke and Chick Pea Pasta
Serves 4

4 C cooked whole wheat pasta (reserve ½ C pasta cooking liquid)
1 onion, chopped
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
2-3 T olive oil
12 oz package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 C white wine
juice of 1 lemon
6-8 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked and sliced
1 can of chickpeas, drained
3 T capers, drained
¼ C pine nuts, toasted
pinch red pepper flakes
1 tsp thyme
2 tsp dried basil
salt & pepper to taste
4 oz goat cheese (I used herbed cheese)
Parmesan cheese (optional)

While pasta is cooking, in a medium saucepan sauté the onions and mushrooms in 2 T of olive oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent and mushrooms are soft. Add the artichokes, garlic, wine, lemon juice and pepper flakes. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced. Scoop out ½ C of pasta water and add to the saucepan, along with the sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, capers, thyme, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook about 2 minutes, until tomatoes and chickpeas are warmed through. Add pasta and toss with sauce. After serving, add 1 oz goat cheese to each plate and sprinkle with pine nuts. Add Parmesan if desired.

**Note: I made this without the goat cheese at first and it was merely "OK". When I added the goat cheese the second night, we both wished there was enough for seconds! The cheese added a wonderfully complex layer of flavor.

9 comments:

Cecile/DreamCreateRepeat said...

Sounds yummy....I love artichokes! I have been "working" on trying to enjoy cooking more, and have rediscovered the joy of putting on a CD of some good music before I begin.

Off to see what A Cuban in London is "dishing up" music wise this morning! ; )

3rdEyeMuse said...

you had me at Artichoke ...

paula l. mandel said...

This sounds really yummy...we can tweak it to be gluten-free no problem. Thanks for peeking at my blog. This last sculpture took a while to come together, but it makes me laugh every time I look at it.

T.Allen said...

Oh Kate this sounds SO good. I added salsa to my veg chili last week, it was a big hit. It's part of my reg recipe now, thanks!

lori vliegen said...

you've used all of my favorite ingredients in this dish...especially the pine nuts and goat cheese! i could eat those two by themselves!! :)

Unknown said...

This sounds very healthy! I'd love to try it sometime. :)

Anonymous said...

Hello Kate,

Loooooooooooooove artichokes!


~ Gabriela ~

ostrich girl said...

Kate you are sooo sweet ! Thankyou for all the positive feedback!xoxo Sheri DeBow

Unknown said...

Oh wow, that sounds FABULOUS! Yum, I'm book marking this post!!