Tuesday, May 8, 2012

You Can Never Have Enough Pasta

Given the pictures below I found it fitting to share a pasta recipe I am dying to try.

Serves 2-3
  • 4-6 cleaned, trimmed artichokes (stem included-optional)
  • 2 cloves of crushed garlic
  • 1 small red chilli finely sliced
  • a handful of parsley finely chopped
  • olive oil for frying
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Cooked “al dente” spaghetti
  1. Blanch your cleaned artichokes in some boiling water for 2 minutes.  Drain and set aside.
  2. Heat up some olive oil in a pan on medium heat and once it’s heated add your artichokes.  Fry on both sides for a few minutes ensuring they do not burn.
  3. Add your garlic and chilli and give everything a good toss and stir.  Season accordingly with salt and pepper.
  4. Add the spaghetti and toss everything together.  If the mixture becomes a little dry add some more olive oil and a little pasta water to loosen it up a little.
  5. Plate the spaghetti with the artichokes and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
The blog that I got this from had the following to say about this recipe: (This recipe comes courtesy of the little Italian lady who lived next door to me when I first moved out of home in Melbourne.  She would fry up artichoke hearts (stem included) in a little olive oil with garlic and toss through just cooked spaghetti.  It was her comfort food.  I’ve added a few extras to give the dish a little lift.)
How sweet is that, and so special of her to share!




Roman Holiday...if only Audrey was there

It has been a couple of weeks if not almost a month since I have been back from Europe and I think it is time I shared some pictures with you. Please may I add that if you choose to repost, pin, etc., please make sure to site and give credit where it is due given that these pictures are my own personal photos.
Enjoy!

The Colosseum.

The Trevi Fountain.

 The Roman Forum.

Preserved Rome.

View from atop a hill in the Roman Forums.

Julius Caesar Preserve.

Outside the Colosseum.

The Pope.

Streets of Rome.

Another shot of the streets of Rome.