May 18, 2010

Fettuccine with Artichoke and Lemon

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Two birds on Monday (artichokes and fava beans). Two birds!

My eyes searching. My brow crinkled. My lips pursed. FINALLY. I zeroed in. Three boxes left. $3.69 a box. Are you kidding? If we can't get the best fresh, the alternative has to be frozen. And so it is. One box purchased.

Subject: Monday
I went out at lunch, found the frozen artichoke hearts at Giant. Do you want to try fettuccine with artichoke tonight? Keep it simple—lemon, salt, pepper, olive oil, etc.
I wonder how they'd taste in red sauce...
Or we can do something with them tomorrow.

Subject: Re: Monday
That's cool...we can wing it tonight.

...

The door bell rang. I'd better hurry, else they'll think the door bell is broken AGAIN.

"Sorry! I was upstairs." I said.

Zara was bucking like a bronco at the end of her leash. Roberto's mother tried to steady her while handing me a large bag of pale green fava.

"Oh, wow! How much do I owe you." I asked.

"Don't worry about it." She said.

"I found the artichokes today." I said.

"Birds Eye?" She asked.

"Yep, at the Giant." I said.

"Santoni's has them too." She said.

We said our goodbyes as the drizzle started to drop. There would be no walk for Zara.

...

The base was simple. Aglio e olio. Roberto took the reigns.

"We should probably chop these up a bit." He said.

"You're probably right." I said.

And lemon perfumed the air as the pasta was dropped. We both kept tasting and testing the artichoke.

"It's lemony. Let me know if it needs anything." He said.

"It's good." I said.

While my twirling skills are more than adequate, Roberto is always one step ahead, planting seconds into his bowl just as the last strands encircle my fork (give me short and witness grayhound speed).

"I'll buy the last two boxes tomorrow." I said.

29 comments:

  1. oh... i want have this!!
    so much food inspiration here:)

    thank you!!!

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  2. oh mighty artichokes....and I haven't had breakfast yet....looks delicious!

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  3. Ohhhh, I'm so deliriously happy with this recipe, Tracy! :-) I have artichoke hearts at home, and lemon, and pasta. You've inspired me with your pasta, my friend. :-) I'm having such fun learning from you and experimenting on my own. :-) Thank you!!

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  4. Elisabelle - We've been inspired a lot lately. I'm glad it's infectious. Oh...by the way, while just finishing our second bowl we both came to the conclusion that toasted bread crumbs would be outstanding sprinkled on top. :)

    M. - They were pretty good for frozen artichokes. We're going batter and fry them next time :)

    Tart - And don't forget to pour on some toasted bread crumbs. Pasta therapy :)

    Denise - Right back at ya :)

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  5. Ready to dive into that bowl, lush simplicity....and toasted bread crumbs? yes, ma'am! Now I'm looking forward to the batter-and-fry...

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  6. This is totally my type of meal. And I couldn't love artichokes more. Thanks for the tips!

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  7. Beautiful. I can almost smell the aroma. Can't wait to see what you do with the fava beans.

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  8. LOVE the photos of the oil and red pepper flakes. that alone makes me salivate in anticipation of vegetables sauteing.

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  9. You communicate so much about the food, it's preparation and eating of it with your careful, often abstract words, beautiful.
    Very nice food.

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  10. Beautiful and scrumptious. I have some artichoke hearts waiting for me at home, now I know exactly what I shall do with them!

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  11. I love that description and am too familiar with it ' zara bucking like a bronco'! My pup is nuts at the moment! This looks gorgeous and beautiful photos as always , I love the chilli in the olive oil. I send emails about dinner too! x

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  12. Looks like heaven on a plate to me. Poor old Zara, not getting her walk.

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  13. nancy - I might have to persuade Roberto to fry up a batch this weekend. Although I don't think it will take too much persuasion!

    Melange a Trois - I'm a recent convert to the artichoke camp. So glad to be able to find them frozen when all else fails.

    Michele - Favas soon. I keep opening the freezer to gaze at them.

    carolyn - We use a ridiculous amount of olive oil. Don't know what we'd do without it.

    rachel - A huge compliment, thank you :)

    alexandria - ...and take a picture...

    Lilly - I'm glad I'm not the only one who scopes out dinner through email.

    Kath - I'm sure Zara didn't suffer to much. It was dinner time...she makes out like a bandit at the dinner table. Only dog I know who eats pasta on a regular basis in lieu of dog food.

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  14. This looks wonderful. I am a very big fan of frozen artichoke hearts. I know, I know, fresh is better - it is, truly. But saving my hands from nicks and cuts, and spending that extra half-hour of artichoke cleaning doing laundry instead is also better.

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  15. Katie - I'm becoming a big fan of frozen. These were especially tasty. I guess if I run across some lovely fresh ones I'll pick them up, but until then I'll be giving my money to Birds Eye :)

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  16. This sounds wonderful. I just started cooking with fresh artichokes this spring (I'm finding they are pesky critters to de-hair - I think I need more practice) but have also used frozen with good results. These pictures are beautiful - love the shadows.

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  17. laura - The shadows are courtesy of some rather ornery daylight, but somehow it worked :) Roberto's mother and father have spoken of baby artichokes that can be eaten raw/whole. That's my kind of artichoke. No prep!

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  18. oh my yum. i'm so glad you found my blog so that i could find yours. lovely, lovely.

    erin

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  19. oh under appreciated artichokes. the food looks lovely, and I think we'll have to have pasta for lunch on our Thursday off...thanks for the inspiration.

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  20. erin - Thank you :)

    The Salty Pear - A day off and pasta for lunch...sounds perfect to me :)

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  21. yummy supper - And I hope you did! :)

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  22. Anything made with artichoke always has my immediate attention. This looks wonderful and I'm waiting to see the results of the fried artichoke hearts. Yum!

    I always keep frozen artichokes in my freezer. Both Trader Joe's and Wegmans have better prices than Giant does so I stock up on my infrequent trips. And if you ever go to a middle eastern market they usually have frozen artichoke bottoms which I like even better than the frozen hearts.

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  23. I've just bought some artichokes, there are lemons and fettucine so I'm going to try your recipe tonight. Beautiful pictures, perfect meal, have a wonderful weekend!

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  24. Julie - I will have to check out Trader Joes soon. I think we might be making the fried artichoke hearts tonight...I hope!

    Vanessa - I hope you tried and liked very much. Yes, it seems you might have an extra lemon laying around...I can't stop thinking about that cake you just posted. Enjoy your weekend as well :)

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  25. This is simplicity and excellence rolled into a ball. It is amazing how good simple food can be. Bravo.

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  26. Cocina Savant – It's true. Simplicity rules :)

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  27. You always make such inspiring pasta dishes Tracy. Even though artichoke is not among my favorite vegetables I really like the look of this fettuccine dish!
    Magda

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  28. Goodness gracious! I love fettuccini and I love artichokes AND I love lemon…how could I possibly go wrong with this combo? I’ve never had artichokes and fettuccini together, I think that’s going to have to change as soon as possible. Thanks for the idea!

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