Spaghetti e Carciofi

Instructions

Clean the artichokes. Cut them in half and take out the “hay” and cut them into little pieces.** Soak them in lemon water.

Meanwhile in a pan, add together the oil, lard and garlic. When garlic is slightly colored add in the artichokes; mix well. After about 5 minutes wet the artichokes with some water; continue to add water if needed.

Cook the spaghetti al dente. Right before pasta is done, add chopped parsley, salt and pepper to the artichokes. Drain the pasta and add to artichoke mixture; mix well. Lightly coat with ricotta or precorino romano and serve.

Author's Comments

* Lard was commonly used in southern Italy in the past. You can substitute this with butter, or even oil in certain recipes.

** A little way to cheat at this step is to purchase frozen artichoke hearts. Then all you have to do is defrost them, chop them and drizzle with lemon. This way they are already moist and you don't have to clean them!

I translated a few recipes from an Italian cookbook my mother has and I had to share them with everyone. The recipes I translated are traditional Calabrese.

Also, many true Italian recipes don't give exact amounts of ingredients, it's done by taste and look. So try and try again if something doesn't seem right, that's what makes Italian cooking fun!

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