Prepare the pasta according to the package directions, in a pot of salted boiling water, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining the pasta.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the garlic is lightly browned around the edges. Add the kale, salt, and several grinds of pepper and cook, tossing with tongs, until the kale is wilted, up to 1 minute.
Add the spaghetti and toss to combine. Add ½ cup pasta water, lemon juice, lemon zest, and toss. If the pasta is seeming too dry, add the remaining ½ cup pasta water to create a light sauce.
Season to taste. Garnish with parsley and serve with Parmesan or vegan Parmesan.
Pulse pine nuts in a food processor until separated into small pieces. Scrape down sides, then add garlic and olive oil. Pulse until ingredients are finely chopped in chunks, but not a paste texture—stop and scrape sides with spatula when needed
Add the herbs, lemon juice, zest, salt, and pepper and pulse until incorporated—stopping every 15 seconds or so to scrape the sides.
Finally, add in the large cheese chunks and pulse until ingredients are finely chopped (but not pasty). Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed. Enjoy on toast, roasted vegetables, pasta or marinade for fish!
Put oil in a medium to large saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 5 minute.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the beans, tomatoes, quinoa, broth, red pepper, rosemary and salt and pepper to taste.
Cook over medium-low heat until tomatoes have broken up & flavors meld, adding more broth to make it as soupy as you like.
Add the arugula or other leafy green and continue to cook, just until it wilts. Adjust the seasoning if necessary, and then serve with some shaved parmesan on top of desired. Enjoy!
Bring a 4-quart pot of water to a boil, add orzo, return to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 8 minutes until just tender.
Using a sieve, strain orzo reserving ⅛ cup of water in the pot.
Return drained orzo to pot with liquid. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and stir to coat. Set aside.
Layer the Flavor
Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until the garlic becomes fragrant.
Add artichoke quarters and stir to combine, scraping garlic from bottom of pan. Continue cooking 5-7 minutes until everything begins to brown
Remove from heat and immediately pour in vinegar to deglaze the pan. Vigorously scrape the bottom of the pan to release the browned bits.
Add in minced parsley, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and the roasted nuts. Stir to mix evenly.
Spoon artichoke mixture into orzo and stir to distribute everything evenly.
Serve it Up
Taste the dish and add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve on individual plates. Garnish with a sprig of parsley, a pinch of Parmesan cheese and a few sprinkles of lemon zest.
Offer with freshly cracked pepper, accompanied by focaccia bread and a fresh green salad.
Recipe Notes
This recipe can easily be made with fresh artichokes when they are in season and inexpensive.
1. Steam 6-8 fresh artichokes in a large stockpot of boiling water for about 45 minutes until they are tender.
2. Drain the water and let the artichokes cool completely. (Steps 1 & 2 can be done the day before).
3. Remove all the outer leaves and the “choke” itself. Only the hearts are used in this dish, save the leaves to eat as a snack. Discard the fuzzy inner choke.
4. These will be larger than either the frozen or canned options, so cut the hearts into quarters, then cut each quarter into 4 equal pieces and sauté with the garlic as described above.
This recipe is from the award-winning cookbook, Eat it Food Adventures with Marco Polo available at recipe4success.org
