Cheesy Pasta with Artichokes, Amen!

The south has a lot of meaning for me.  My father's family are from Sicily, the large southern island south of Italy, and my mother's family are all from Mississippi.  Blending these two foodie paradises takes no talent for someone from these regions. 

 

Anything from the southern U.S. that crawls, swims, or grows in the dirt can be whipped into a Sicilian dish.  Any recipe from Sicily can usually fit between two pieces of bread slathered with mayonnaise, from eggplant Parmesan to lasagna.  Yes, you can put lasagna in a sandwich, the two starches do go well together, and the mayo mixes with the sauce and becomes a taste from heaven.  I always make extra so I have leftovers for several sourdough sandwiches throughout the next week.

 

So, you're probably asking yourself what this has to do with tolerance, religion, or spiritualism.  Plenty!  Food has always been a common denominator between cultures.  It is a way of "taking a moment" from the heat of disagreement, and finding common ground with your adversary.  There are stories on the field of battle where swapping rations would quell the fighting for a short period, reminding the soldiers they were all just people.  Both sides could sit at the same table and remember how similar they actually are.

 

Those of us that were brought up to sit at a table with family for our meals, probably say grace, thanking God for the bounty provided and the family and friends that it might have brought together.  And, personally, I have had some foods which were so flavorful I firmly believe to have had a spiritual experience while eating.  Ok, maybe that's pushing it, but it came darned close!

 

I have gotten out of the habit of buying prepared foods for a meal.  No more ravioli, or chili without beans, from a can.  That crap can kill you.  It always amazes me when they advertise this mess as, "just like mom used to make."  Read the ingredients and ask yourself where in mom's kitchen she stored the xanthan gum, BHT, BHA, or high fructose corn syrup.  Not in my mom's kitchen.  We stopped buying food with MSG long before it became fashionable and the medical community finally realized that it was the cause of a cornucopia of health maladies.  Better living through chemicals.

 

There is nothing like a fresh vegetable, real cream, butter, and an extra large egg with a rich orange yolk to remind you why God gave us the ability to cook.  Not everything you eat has to be made from scratch, I'll admit.  I'm the one that wanders into the mayonnaise jar occasionally, and you just can't make a decent green bean casserole without canned green beans and mushroom soup.  Some things you just can't find fresh all the time, like artichoke hearts.

 

The next time you feel like having a something close to a spiritual experience, I recommend trying the recipe below.  I found this online and was taken by the photo provided of the, almost empty, pan.  Yes, I succumbed to the photographic manipulation. 

I sauté capers in with the butter, but then, I add capers to almost everything and cut I back on the salt.  Parmesan and capers add salt to any dish, as does anything canned, and too much salt can detract from the flavor instead of adding to it.  You can add more salt once the dish is served, and you've tasted it.  I also used the whole pound of pasta.  If you're making it for yourself you're having leftovers anyway, and if you have guests they'll eat it.  The recipe is so easy you can adjust the measures to make up for the additional quarter cup without screwing it up too badly.

 

 Even though this is so easy you will make it just for yourself, set the dinner table, light a candle, be sure to say grace and thank God for all you have, and have a toast to friends and lost loves.  I prefer a nice white wine, like Pinot Noir Blanc, with this dish.

Cheesy Pasta with Artichokes

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups canned, drained artichoke hearts (two 14-ounce cans), rinsed and cut into halves or quarters
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 pound fusilli (spiral pasta)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons chopped chives, scallion tops, or parsley
1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS
1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over moderately low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the cream, salt, pepper, and artichoke hearts. Cook until just heated through, about 3 minutes.
2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the fusilli until just done, about 13 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the cream sauce, Parmesan, and chives.