Florence Fabricants Penne With Artichokes And Mushrooms Recipes

PENNE WITH BABY ARTICHOKES, BLACK OLIVES AND PEAS

Steps:

• Rinse the artichokes in cold water. Bend back the green petals and snap them off all the way down to the light green and yellow leaves. Cut off the top cone of petals and the green part of the base. Cut the artichokes in half, if the choke and thistle look spiky, remove them. Otherwise, just put in acidulated water.
• Coat a saucepan with 2 tablespoons olive oil and place over medium heat. Blot the artichokes dry then add them to the pan. Add the garlic, shallot, lemon slices, bay leaves and red pepper flakes. Pour in the stock, cover, and let simmer for 8 minutes to soften the artichokes. Remove the lid and add the olives, basil, tomatoes and butter, stir to incorporate. Add the peas and remaining oil; season again with salt and pepper. Cook pasta al dente and top with the baby artichoke sauce. Sprinkle with grated cheese before serving.

STEAMED WHOLE ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Put the parsley, garlic, bay leaves, 3 lemon halves, the wine, olive oil and chicken broth in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, prepare the artichokes: Wash the artichokes under cold water. Using a chef's knife, cut off the stems close to the base. Pull off the lower small tough leaves. Cut off the top inch of the artichoke and rub with the remaining lemon half to preserve the green color. (Alternatively, you may put the artichokes in acidulated water.) If you wish, trim the thorny tips of the leaves with kitchen shears.
• Place the artichokes in the steaming liquid, bottom up. Cover and simmer until a knife inserted into the base meets no resistance, about 30 minutes.
• Serve the steamed artichokes hot or cold with lemon wedges. To eat, pull off a leaf and dip in the melted butter; scrape the meat off the tender end with your front teeth. When you reach the center cone of prickly purple leaves, discard it (this is the choke that protects the heart). Now use a spoon to scrape away the thistle fuzz covering the heart, the meatiest part of the artichoke. Cut the heart into pieces and eat.

PENNE WITH TOMATOES, ARTICHOKES AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Cook the pasta while making the sauce.
• Gently heat a large saute pan over medium heat for about 1 minute.
• add 1 TB of the olive oil, the onion, the garlic, the rosemary and the red pepper flakes. Sautee until the onions are starting to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Add the mushrooms and cook until the onions are starting to brown and the mushrooms have released their juices and have softened, about 8 minutes.
• Add the chickpeas and break the plum tomatoes into pieces with your hands. Add them to the pan along with their juice and the diced tomatoes.
• After the tomatoes have cooked for about 5 minutes add the artichoke hearts. Stir and cover until the artichokes are heated through and the tomatoes are just beginning to thicken.
• Add the sugar and salt, stir and cook gently over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes stirring now and then.
• Add the final TB of olive oil after you've turned off the heat and stir it inches.
• Serve over Penne sprinkled with the Romano.

FLORENCE FABRICANT'S PENNE WITH ARTICHOKES AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Remove and discard all the leaves of the artichokes and slice off the fuzzy choke, leaving only the thick, round fleshy bottom of each artichoke. Place the bottoms in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice.
• Remove the bottoms from the lemon juice one at a time and with a sharp knife, cut each into slices a half-inch thick. Return the slices to the lemon juice.
• Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, add the artichoke slices and simmer about five minutes, to blanch them. Drain and pat them dry.
• Trim the stems off the mushrooms and cut the mushrooms into slices a half-inch thick.
• Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet. Add the garlic, cook for a few seconds, then add the mushroom and artichoke slices. Cook over medium-high heat about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly browned. Stir in the rosemary and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, cook the penne until al dente, about seven minutes. Drain well, then add to the skillet with the vegetables. Toss, check seasonings and serve at once with Parmesan cheese.