It’s Quick Artichoke Cream Pasta, yay!

A quick and easy dinner featuring artichokes, cream and pasta. Delicious comfort food!

You need just handful of ingredients, most of which store well.

This is one of my favorite dishes to make when I feel like a little comfort food, but can’t be bothered to go through the process of actually making it and have no one to share lunch with. I usually have all of the ingredients needed for the creamy artichoke sauce at home: onions, artichokes (out of a glass), butter or olive oil, salt and pepper (or vegetable broth), some whipping cream, parsley and pasta (I prefer gluten-free spaghetti, e.g. from Barilla). If you’re feeling in need of an extra creamy hug, add a little Parmigiano.

This dish cooks in about ten minutes. You prepare the creamy artichoke sauce while the pasta is boiling. Time to do other things apart from hanging around the kitchen (especially when you have a dishwasher), horray! A vegan version is prepared just as quick, with olive oil and a vegetable-based cream (e.g. from soy or rice) instead of whipping cream.

These days, David and I have better things to do than spending time at home and in the kitchen. The weather has been simply wonderful lately. We step out for lots of long walks every day, much more than we did in winter. We’re meeting friends and exploring new streets and areas of town while wearing sunscreen and shades along with short and thinner clothes. Glorious!

The soles of my shoes are already sporting holes from all the steps my feet are taking on the new streets and areas of the city David and I are exploring together. My thighs hurt in the evening from carrying my six-kilo-baby in the baby carrier for hours. I love it!

When we are home and not cooking, we listen to lots of music. Very soft, elevator-type tunes. David is a wonderful baby, but he has a very loud voice and wow, he knows how to use it! I joke that I can now be employed for all sorts of high-level jobs that require you to endure lots of stress, given that I’ve learnt how to perform excellently while being screamed at incessantly. My ears have started ringing again (along with the husband’s), so I need calmer noises to compensante. Anyway, so Enya, Van Morrison, Norah Jones – it’s all in there. Today, I’ve re-discovered Tori Amos’ The Beekeeper, which is also on the softer side. I’ll leave you with “Sleeps With Butterflies” from this 2005 album.

By the time you listen to this gem twice, dinner will be almost ready if you make Quick Artichoke Cream Pasta!

Quick Artichoke Cream Pasta

Ingredients

1 onion (chopped)
1 tbsp butter or olive oil
1 glass artichokes (drained and washed)
1 tbsp fresh or frozen parsley (chopped)
50ml whipping cream
30g parmigiana (grated; omit for a vegan version or replace with nutritional yeast)
salt, pepper, a little vegetable broth

85g gluten-free pasta

Bring salt water to a boil. Add the gluten-free pasta and boil according to the package directions.

Place a pan on the stove and add the butter or olive oil. Once the oil is heated, add the chopped onions.

After a few minutes, the onions should be golden brown on the edges, add the artichokes (whole, halved or chopped – whichever you prefer best).

Add the fresh parsley, the whipping cream (and the parmigiana, if you feel like it).

Season your creamy artichoke sauce with salt, pepper and vegetable broth.

Drain the gluten-free pasta and add it to the creamy artichoke sauce, give it a good stir. Place on a plate and serve immediately.