Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Baby Artichokes and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes over Pasta

Baby Artichokes and roasted tomatoes over fettuccine, a romaine salad with parmesan and vinaigrette, and maybe some garlic bread to round it out.
If you peek at www.jamcakeandjuleps.blogspot.com, you will learn how to prep baby artichokes. They come 12 to a clamshell at Whole Foods. If you have a big family, you may use all of them. If it's just you and the hubby, you can prep them all and store them for future meals. So read up on preparation and then proceed with this menu. Of course, if you are not the preppin' kind, use a can of water-packed artichokes and breeze through this menu.
Now, in the header of this blog, my sis says I am the recipe gal. Begging to differ, I am very exact when I write recipes; otherwise, I am a tosser of goodness into the pots on the stove! This will be one of those recipes.
8 freshly cooked baby artichokes, halved
1-2 cups cherry tomatoes, washed
2 large garlic cloves
enough pasta for your family cooked the way they like
olive oil
sea salt
Line a baking pan with foil (easy clean up). Preheat oven to 375. Toss artichokes and tomatoes together. Mince the garlic with one of those gadgets over the top, and toss again. Pour over about 2-3 TB olive oil. Place pan in oven and roast vegetables for about 30 minutes or until the tomatoes start wrinkling, some brown spots are on the 'chokes and everything smells good.
Put the cooked pasta in a large bowl. Scrape veggies off of foil onto pasta. Add another 1-2 TB olive oil and a healthy sprinkle of sea salt. Toss everything together. Eat.

Romaine Salad
1 head of romaine hearts
1/2 cup chopped scallions
herbs, chopped, your choice
vinaigrette dressing or your favorite bottled dressing
Freshly grated parmesan (grate on the large holes of a box grater)
Chop the romaine. Toss into a bowl. Add the scallions, herbs and dressing. Toss. Serve.
Sprinkle the freshly grated parm over all.
Garlic Bread
Mix together 1 minced garlic clove and 2 TB butter with 2 TB olive oil. Put in microwave for a minute until butter is melted.
Using a silicone brush, brush butter onto 4-6 slices of french or italian bread. Sandwich bread works in a pinch. Put all the bread in a foil pouch. Heat in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Hint: Put pouch on the bottom rack while the veggies are roasting.

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