Spaghetti with artichoke cream, anchovies and ricotta cheese
Easter is very close and for this event I wanted to think about a special recipe, but not too laborious to make, so the inspiration for these spaghetti with artichoke cream, anchovies and ricotta cheese came to my mind.
Making this dish with a little effort you could bring to the table a tasty first course and dedicate the time you save for its preparation to your loved ones.
I like to continue my family traditions and, on our table, for Easter lunch, artichokes or ricotta are never missing, but in this case I wanted to give an extra flavour and to achieve my purpose I used anchovy fillets.
Anchovies are versatile in the kitchen, as well as very tasty, they are an ingredient that I love and for this reason in my pantry is never missing.
Some tricks before directions
Spaghetti with artichoke cream, anchovies and ricotta are easy to prepare, it takes just a bit of familiarity and some small trick for cleaning your artichokes.
First prepare a bowl of cold water acidulated with lemon juice.
Remove the outer and coriaceous leaves of the artichoke until reaching the heart (the most tender and clearest part).
Cut the top with the thorns and the stem (the most tender part attached to the flower can be used, in this case it should be “peeled” with a sharp knife).
Cut your artichoke into two parts and, using a sharp knife tip, remove the inner hair.
As you clean them, soak your half artichoke hearts into the acidulated water so they will not get black.
Before cooking, rinse them quickly under cold flowing water to eliminate the acidity of the lemon.
Spaghetti with artichoke cream, anchovies and ricotta recipe
Calories: 442 kcal
Ingredients
Serves 4- 320 gr of spaghetti
- 2 artichokes
- 100 gr of ricotta cheese
- 4 fillets of anchovies
- 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 garlic cloves
- Salt to taste
- Pepper as required
- Fresh parsley as required
Directions
Heat the evo oil in a pan with the slightly pressed unpeeled garlic cloves and anchovy fillets.
As soon as the oil starts sizzle, add the previously cleaned and sliced artichokes.
Stir-fry the artichokes at high heat for about a minute, then cover with a lid and cook over a gentle flame for a few minutes (until they get tender).
When cooked, remove the garlic cloves and put the artichokes in the glass of a hand mixer.
Cook your spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water.
Blend the artichokes together with the ricotta cheese and some cooking water of your pasta (enough to obtain a cream with a very soft consistency), season with salt and, if necessary, add a little more oil.
Drain your spaghetti “al dente” keeping aside some cooking water.
In a pan quickly stir-fry your spaghetti with artichoke cream, add a little more cooking water if necessary; turn off the heat and add the grated Parmesan cheese, a sprinkling of pepper and a little of chopped fresh parsley.
Serve your spaghetti with artichoke, anchovies and ricotta cream immediately and, if you like it, garnish each dish with a small ricotta cheese quenelle and a rolled anchovy fillet.
