Carciofi e Pepe

From Page 117 of The What To Eat When Cookbook

Roman cacio e pepe is a simple yet delicious dish of just-cooked pasta served with freshly grated pecorino cheese and a healthy dose of freshly ground pepper. Of course, on the When Way, we recommend limiting your cheese intake, so we came up with this version made with a creamy artichoke sauce (crema di carciofi) rather than cheese. This pasta is so good it will become your preferred version of this trendy classic. This is a pasta dish we prefer warm, so just make as many servings as you are going to eat immediately.

Photo by Scott Suchman

Ingredients

1 can quartered artichokes drained
6 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 to 3 T water

4 quarts water
Salt

8 ounces whole grain linguine
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place the artichokes in a Vitamix or high-speed blender. Add olive oil. Start the blender on low speed and increase speed gradually—the mixture is very thick and may not puree if you increase the speed too quickly. Scrape down the sides of the blender jar, then shake the jar, and start again as needed. Add water by tablespoon fulls (up to 3 tablespoons) and continue to blend until a very smooth puree is obtained. Be patient, this may take several minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt until it’s salty like the sea. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain the pasta, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the artichoke puree and toss to coat. Add a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper and additional salt to taste.