Spaghetti with Artichokes and Tomato

Simple dishes like this Spaghetti with Artichokes and Tomato, are among my favorite thing to make.  The sauce takes just about the same amount of time, as cooking the spaghetti it self.  So it’s super fast to make.  And treated right, the ingredients come together in perfect harmony, giving a ton of flavor and the impression, that it’s a recipe you’ve been working on for hours.  Feel free to swap ingredients to personalize the dish, different herbs can work especially well, because recipes like this are all about the techniques used, and can work great with all kinds of different foods.  Hope you enjoy it.

Recipe Overview and Keys to Success

For the best Spaghetti with Artichokes and Tomato, just make sure you do the following:

1. Like all pastas, you want cook the spaghetti al dente.  For me that generally means about 30- 60 seconds less than the package directions, because we’ll finish cooking in the sauce itself
2. Don’t overcook the tomato and artichoke.  They only need a few minutes, to break down and awaken the flavors.  After that, they can get overworked and mushy
3. Taste as you go.  Simple spaghetti’s like this are all about balance, so make sure to season and taste as you cook, and if you need to adjust the ingredients to fit your tastes, so do.
4. Finally, finish the spaghetti in the pan with the sauce.  That gives all the flavors a chance to come together, and a chance for you to adjust the flavors and consistency

• ½ lb spaghetti
• 15 – 20 cherry tomatoes
• ¾ cup coarsely chopped jarred/prepared artichokes
• 1/3 cup white wine
• ½ cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 shallots minced
• 3 – 4 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

• Bring a pot of salted water to the boil for the spaghetti
• Heat a large sauté pan, over medium heat, coat with olive oil, and add the cherry tomatoes
• Cook until the skins start to pop and become slightly wilted, but don’t let them get mushy
• Add the shallots and garlic to the tomatoes and cook for 2 – 3 minutes; at this time you can also add the spaghetti to the boiling water
• Stir the spaghetti every couple minutes to prevent sticking
• Add the wine to the sauce pan, and season with salt and pepper, then reduce by half
• Add the chicken stock, and reduce by half again
• Add the artichokes, and let them come up to temperature
• Once the spaghetti is just short of al dente, reserve some pasta water in a cup, drain the spaghetti and add it to the sauce pan; season with salt and pepper
• Season with salt and pepper and toss everything together over high heat for 2 – 3 minutes
• If the pan is dry, add some of the reserved pasta water
• Turn off the heat and add a good drizzle of olive oil, the butter, parmesan and the chopped basil, tossing to combine
• Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed
• Serve the spaghetti up and garnish with a  bit more parmesan cheese and olive oil
• Enjoy!

Artichokes can be a tough wine pairing, as the chemical compounds in them can often clash with wines.  Fortunately, in this recipe the olive oil, tomatoes and garlic, all make the artichoke more wine friendly.  I’d avoid reds, and the tannins tend to cause the greatest paring issues, and instead go with a dry white wine, like a Riesling, or some of the German wines, that are high in acid, and low on alcohol and sweetness.   Enjoy!