Don’t cry over spilled milk (or mis-dolloped ricotta).

Happy Monday! Just got home after the fastest work Monday I’ve had since moving up here, I don’t know what made it go so quickly, but there’s something about Monday motivation and productivity that I wish stayed constant throughout the week.

This past weekend, I worked on a client project to photograph these baby little butternut squash and kale pizzas. Not something friendly with my food allergies but I took on the challenge with a smile and some (Monday) determination. I baked the pizzas, chopped the kale, and dolloped the ricotta. All was going smoothly with the photos until I realized the client had specified 3-4 dollops of ricotta per baby pizza and I had just done one big dollop and shot about 150+ photos. Needless to say, the Monday determination turned into frustration and I’m not proud to say I shed a tear (or two) over spilled ricotta. Not the best of moments but it showed me that mistakes are normal and so are unreasonable tears. We’re all humans. (See a tiny bit of some of the aforementioned ricotta pizzas here).

Well, after my ricotta tears, Frank & I spent the weekend exploring the pre-Christmas festivities that were going on around NYC. We walked to the Bryant Park Winter Village, Central Park, down Fifth Avenue and into the Macy’s on 34th Street and WOW, we were hooked into the whole thing. They even had animated squirrels hanging from the ceilings! That’s complete commitment. We even bought these mugs!

Sunday morning we made our way to The Mansion, our favorite neighborhood dinner & a weekly tradition we picked up when we moved here. After a cozy breakfast with some coffee & relaxing conversation, we decided on our first recipe to conquer from The Book.

If you remember from last week, I talked about my new little project, reworking my favorite recipes out of The Silver Spoon to be friendly with all different types of lifestyles whether you’re vegan or gluten free. To be honest, it’s just really fun to call it The Book. The drama. The SUSPENSE.

Penne Rigate with Artichokes + Shallots

(Adapted from The Silver Spoon)

What I learned:

• Using marinated vs fresh artichokes. Honestly a toss up, I double the recipe & realized I did not have enough artichokes to make it a truly artichoke pasta dish. If you’re using marinated artichoke hearts I suggest getting two little jars even for a single recipe!
• Salt the olive oil + parsley mixture. So the only salt the recipe called for was on top of the pasta dish when serving, but I think salting the artichoke and oil mixture is a little better as long as you keep an eye on the amount of salt you add. It’ll help the pasta from feeling the salt grit on top and make for a smoother tasting pasta.
• Use a HUGE pasta pot. Many of you all are aware of the tininess (is that a word?) of our kitchen. So we do with 4 pots/pans - a Dutch oven, a large grill pan, a small sauté pan, and a medium sauce pan. And now after starting this project, I’m quickly adding a large pasta pot to my Christmas list. Did you know you need 4-5 quarts for every 12 ounces of pasta (one normal box)? That literally filled my entire Dutch oven & if you’re looking to double the pasta, that’s a LOT of water. Definitely a learning moment.
• Add shaved shallots. RE: the ricotta pizzas, I had some leftover thinly shaved shallots that I threw on top because I felt like it needed a little crunch. Not disappointing and added an extra level of texture and taste.
• When live gives you lemons.... The recipe called for a lemon to help discoloration of the artichokes when cooking, but instead I put half of it in the oil mixture and half to top the pasta and the shallots.

Here is the recipe, friends. Go for it! My edits are bolded.

Penne Rigate with Artichokes + Shallots

(Adapted from The Silver Spoon)

Serves: 4 | Preparation: 25 min | Cooking: 20 min

Ingredients

• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 jars of marinated artichokes
• 5 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley
• 12 ounces gluten-free rigate
• salt + pepper
• 1/2 shaved shallot

Directions

Heat the oil in a pan over medium low heat. Add garlic and parsley for 2 -3 minutes on low. Add strained artichokes to the oil and cover. Mix and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste (but be careful it's hot!). Meanwhile, cook the penne in a large pot of salted, boiling water until al dente (11 minutes or sooner because GF pasta cooks faster). Drain and place in serving dish. Pour the artichoke sauce over the pasta, season with pepper, parsley leaves, and half a shaved shallot on top and serve. 

Happy cooking,

X

Marina