Pasta with artichokes, anchovies and capers
Gennaro Contaldo’s ‘farfalle con carciofi’ is a celebration of artichokes, married with sharp capers and anchovies. An easy, yet special pasta dish.
Ingredients
- farfalle: 320²µ/11½´Ç³ú farfalle
- artichokes: 8 small artichokes
- lemons: 2 lemons, juice only
- olive oil: 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- : 8–12 anchovy fillets
- shallots: 2 banana shallots, finely chopped
- capers: 75²µ/2½´Ç³ú capers
- white wine: 6 tbsp white wine
- black pepper: sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- parsley: handful finely chopped fresh parsley
- parmesan: grated parmesan (or pecorino), to serve
Method
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente – check the packet instructions for the cooking time.
Meanwhile, clean the artichokes by removing all the leaves until you get to the heart. Slice in half, and remove the hairy choke. Prepare a bowl of water and pour the lemon juice in. Slice the hearts finely and place in the bowl of water until you are ready to use.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the anchovies and fry over a medium-high heat for about 2–3 minutes, or until crisp. Add the shallots and fry for another minute. Drain the artichokes and add them to the pan, then stir-fry for about 2 minutes until softened, but not mushy. Add the capers, then add the white wine and simmer to allow some of it to evaporate. Season with salt and pepper.
Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce in the pan with a little of the reserved cooking water and mix well to combine. Stir in the chopped parsley.
Remove from the heat, drizzle with a little extra virgin oil, and serve with grated parmesan.
