It just doesn’t get much easier than this recipe and it has now become one of my favourite pasta dishes in my repertoire. It doesn’t require many ingredients and is super quick to prepare. Pesto is the main flavouring component here. We love the Kirkland brand from Costco. It just makes everything better, doesn’t it? If I add it to sandwiches, salad dressings hummus, butter, “Poof!”, they’re suddenly super tasty but I digress… The potatoes make it hearty and the roasted canned artichokes, my new obsession, are tasty and bright. This low pressure meal can be served warm or at room temperature because although I personally prefer it warm, it makes the perfect pasta salad.
You can add other vegetables to this as well. One that comes to mind would be broccoli stems. Nope not the florets. I love to steam broccoli tops whole and serve them with salmon or other proteins. Sadly as much as I love the stems, they’re often discarded, rejected and sadly forgotten. This is their time to shine because their texture would work perfectly here. In fact, I almost regret not adding some in. Not a broccoli person? You could add green beans or even some crisp asparagus.
Lets take a quick sec to talk about canned artichoke hearts and artichoke bottoms (my pref). I’ve only ever eaten them in salads. My mom’s favourite salad contains artichoke hearts, halved, mini bocconini, tomatoes, oregano and red wine vinegar salad dressing. That’s the extent of it. Then I went to Lucali’s pizzeria in Miami and had marinated artichokes but roasted until they’re warm with little charred bits here and there. Game. Changer! Now, what the heck are artichoke bottoms. Well, in my view, they are superior to the artichoke heart who’s leaves are sometimes fibrous and unpleasant to eat for me. Artichoke bottoms don’t have the leaves but only the tender center-bottom part. Admittedly they may not look as pretty but they are a pleasure to eat. They’re a little tough to find in Quebec grocery stores but I ordered mine from Amazon and have found them in a jar at my local Adonis.
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Gemelli with Pesto, Roasted Artichokes and Potatoes
Equipment
- 1 High-sided pot or dutch oven
- 1 Baking sheet covered with parchment
Ingredients
- 250 G Your favourite pasta We used Gemelli
- 5 Baby yukon or 3 medium new potatoes, cut into approx 2” pieces No need to peel
- 1 396g (14oz) can artichoke bottoms or hearts cut into approx 2” pieces
- 1/2 Cup Basil Pesto or more – to taste We like the Kirkland brand @Costco
- Kosher salt For pasta water
- Parmigiano Reggiano Freshly grated
- Black pepper
- Fresh basil or flat leaf Italian parsley Or both, chopped
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Set oven to broil (high). Place oven rack mid-way or on the upper 3rd level of your oven.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil (6 cups approx)
- Drain artichokes and pat them dry with paper towels. Cut them into about 2” pieces. Dry them off again. This will ensure the browning we want.
- Cut potatoes into pieces about 2” to match the size of your artichokes
- When water is boiling, add potatoes and a generous palmful of kosher salt. Allow them to cook at a rolling boil. After 5 minutes or when you can stick the tip of a knife into a potato piece (there will still be resistance), add pasta to the same pot and allow them to cook until desired doneness is reached.
- Meanwhile, place artichoke pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Drizzle them with olive oil and toss to coat, massaging the oil into the pieces.Roast, uncovered, watching closely until edges begin to brown and char a little. This took me 5 minutes but ovens vary. When done, remove from oven and set aside.
- Before you drain your pasta, reserve about 1 cup of cooking water. You’ll need it later.
- Drain pasta and potatoes and return to the pot with the heat off. Throw in artichokes and toss to combine.
- Add pesto and combine until fully distributed. Add a little pasta water and toss again. Repeat as needed. Your pasta should be creamy & glossy.
- Top with grated parmesan, fresh cracked pepper and fresh herbs. Serve immediately or if you want this to be more of a pasta salad, serve at room temperature.
- Enjoy!
