Adriana's Italian Recipe for Fettuccine with Artichoke Pesto

Fettuccine with Artichoke Pesto
(Fettuccine con Pesto Carciofo)


Ingredients:

6 large or 8 small artichoke hearts, sectioned and steamed or 2 lb baby artichokes steamed or 9 oz frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and steamed five minutes or 14 oz canned artichoke hearts packed in water or oil, (no vinegar) drained
2 oz salted roasted cashews 2 sprigs Italian parsley 1 clove garlic 2 tbs grated Parmigiano cheese Squirt of lemon juice Dash of cayenne pepper 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 lb prosciutto, thickly sliced then diced 1/4 inch Grated Parmigiano cheese, for the table 1 lb fettuccine pasta Directions:

In a blender or food processor, place the prepared artichokes, cashews, parsley, garlic, cheese, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper.

Turn on and add the olive oil slowly, a bit at a time, until the blender blades spin freely, creating a hollow in the center. Add more oil if necessary.

Transfer the pesto to a bowl and keep warm on the stove. Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine until nearly 'al dente'.

Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water on the side.

Return the pasta to the pot and sprinkle in the diced prosciutto. Spoon in the pesto, adding a tablespoon or two of the reserved pasta water as necessary to assure that the sauce coats the pasta evenly.

Stir over low heat. Make sure it doesn't stick to the pot; use all the reserved water if necessary.

When the ingredients are well mixed and the fettuccine coated with pesto, the dish is ready. Serve with freshly grated Parmigiano cheese. That's it!

Subscribe to the CookiesFromItaly.com
Free Newsletter!

The weekly newsletter provides hard to find Sicilian and Italian recipes, holiday specials, the latest updates on our company, special "members only" offers and much more.

Read Adriana's Back Issues.