We bow down to you, oh Loulou, our mascot kitty. But where are we? We’re certainly not here today!
OH, NO, are we loose in the streets?
HAH. A donkey-herder! Not doing too well, is he…?
Hey, whither thou goest…
Hey, where are those guys??? Their parking lot temp abode is empty but of course it’s pouring rain and those poor little things can’t stay out in weather like this, even if they are donkeys and a mule. So I guess they have a donkey hotel or something where they hole up in bad weather. Meanwhile, mama has de-leafed and chopped artichoke hearts for a pasta sauce, and I happen to know where a lot of those leaf-trimmings end up.
You guessed it: the donkey sac. Donkeys are WILD for artichokes because they were the first animals to discover them long ago in Roman times.
But if these donks are not here nor coming back, that stuff will be compost in a few days! I like mine cooked.
Yes, artichoke sauce for pasta–one of the greats, especially for those of you who have access to that magical vegetable (which mama likes almost as much as she likes ME and that’s saying something).
For six:
1 pound fresh tagliatelle or dry short pasta
4 globe or 8 baby artichokes, outer leaves snapped off (put them in the refrigerator before cleaning and it’s easier) to the yellow leaves and pared about halfway down the choke, then sliced very thin in any way you like (you’ll see why)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small sweet onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
A few mint leaves
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream or yogurt
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon parmesan (Reggiano, preferably)
In a skillet, heat the olive oil, then add the artichoke slices, onion and garlic and sauté about 5 minutes. Add the wine and broth, cover, lower the heat and cook until artichokes are soft, about 10-15 minutes. Add the mint leaves, cayenne, cream and butter and cook another minute or two.
Puree all the mixture in the bowl of a food processor, add the parmesan and blend to a nice smooth sauce consistency.
Boil the pasta until al dente (fresh takes only about 4 minutes, dry takes 8-9 minutes), drain, saving 1 tablespoon of water. In the hot pasta-boiling pan, mix the pasta and sauce and serve immediately with a little chopped mint on top.
I think you’ll be happy. Even I love this sauce and I’m not a donkey!
Is this the face of a DONKEY?
We didn’t know donkeys liked artichokes!
The discovered artichokes in Roman times by eating the thistles in the field that turned into our domestic artichokes. When the Romans discovered them, only the rich and powerful could have them as they were saved for the elite. A famous Roman writer said of this habit of the elite to hoard everything for themselves, “Well, the asses discovered this delicacies and the asses who govern us are still eating them.” They were also a favourite of Catherine de Medici…There is a story about this on http://www.theamericanmag.com for which mama writes a column called Suzanne’s Taste (when you have nothing better to do…)
Hey, no way is that a donkey face! But could you turn around just so we can be sure you’re not a Loulou impersonator?
Hey, wait a minute. Turn AROUND? That part of me is Loulou, too!