MAIN DISH

LEMONY PASTA WITH ARTICHOKES & GOAT CHEESE

Feel free to add barely cooked asparagus to this dish.

• 8 to 10 small artichokes, 12 to 18 fresh artichoke hearts, or 3 to 4 medium-size artichokes

• Extra virgin olive oil, as needed or desired

• 5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

• Kosher salt, to taste

• 12 ounces penne or pennette

• 6 to 8 stalks asparagus, sliced diagonally into 1-inch lengths, lightly cooked and drained (optional)

• Zest and juice of 1 lemon (1 to 2 tablespoons)

• About ¾ ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

• A few spoonfuls or gratings of Parmesan or pecorino (optional)

Clean the artichokes down to their hearts, if necessary, stripping off the dark outer leaves and scooping out the fuzzy choke (it is not necessary to do this if using fresh artichoke hearts). Slice the artichokes almost paper thin, and place in a bowl of cold salted water as each is finished.

When artichokes are ready to be cooked, drain them and pat dry.

In a nonstick frying pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and add a single layer of the artichokes, letting them brown lightly, then pushing them aside and adding more artichokes plus a teeny bit more oil, if needed. Ideally you'd like them to brown, even char a bit in places, but not really fry, so go easy with the oil. Remove from the heat and toss with the garlic, and salt to taste.

Add salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until very al dente. Reserve about ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.

Return pasta to pot and add the artichokes; asparagus, if using; a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid; the lemon zest; and a few tablespoons of olive oil. Cook a moment or two, mixing well to evenly distribute the artichoke bits.

Remove from the heat and toss in the lemon juice (go easy at first - you can always add more), goat cheese and parsley.

Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve right away, with Parmesan or pecorino, as desired. Makes 4 or 5 servings.

Per serving: 410 calories, 13 g protein, 55 g carbohydrate, 16 g fat (4 g saturated), 8 mg cholesterol, 134 mg sodium, 6 g fiber.

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