Spaghetti with Artichoke Cream

The aftertaste of artichoke is so delicate and fresh that you won't even need to brush your teeth after your meal. I wish my toothpaste tasted like artichoke.
I got the inspiration for this dish after my last visit in Rome. I went to " Al Pompiere" http://www.alpompiereroma.com/, an awesome restaurant specialized in Roman-Jewish Cuisine and they served me this amazing plate of  Tonnarelli with Artichoke and Pecorino.
This is my own way of bastardizing the recipe.

For the sauce you will need:

• Artichoke heart ( if you have the fresh one then it is great, I have used the one in the can...)
• Garlic Cloves
• extra Virgin Olive Oil 
• Parmiggiano ( Pecordino Romano is better)
• Vegetable Stock-
• Salt and Pepper to taste

 Start by pan frying the garlic with some extra virgin olive oil. Add the chopped artichokes to the pan and saute them for 5 minutes. Add 1 or 2 ladles of Vegetables Stock, cover the pan and let it cook for 15 more minutes or until the artichoke are nice and tender. I have added 2 table spoon of double cream just to create a nice cream with the tender artichoke and the grated Parmiggiano ( be generous).

Cook the spaghetti " al dente" and add it to the pan with the sauce for few minutes so that the sauce can marry with the spaghetti. Drizzle with some Extra Virgin olive oil and freshly ground pepper.

Tagliatelle with Prosciutto and Cream of Parmesan

The trick here is to make a cream of Parmesan and not a double cream sauce! you'll be surprise of the small amount of cream you need to make a creamy and tasty sauce.

For 2 people you’ll need:

·      Half of a small onion

·      Extra virgin olive oil

·      5 g of butter

·      Prosciutto di Parma cut into stripes

·      50 ml of double cream

·      50 g of Parmesan

·      Fresh parsley

In a frying pan add some extra virgin olive oil, the butter and the finely diced onion. Cook them until they look transparent. When the onion are done you can put the Tagliatelle into a pot with salted boiling water.

Add the prosciutto into the frying pan and cook it for 3 minutes. Add the grated Parmesan to the frying pan and pour the double cream over and some fresh parsley. Cook it for 2 minutes and then remove it from heat, otherwise it will dry. Once the Tagliatelle are cooked, add them to the saucepan and stirred until the sauce is perfectly uniform. Make sure you keep some of the pasta water in case the sauce dries!.

 Sprinkle some fresh parsley on top when serving.

Daphinoise Potatoes

This is such a tasty way to cook potatoes. It takes a while to cook, but the result is incredible. It is such a creamy, garlicky and comforting flavor.

You’ll need:

·      2 garlic cloves

·      10g of sea salt

·      500 g of peeled and thinly sliced potatoes

·      Freshly ground black pepper

·      300ml/10½fl oz double cream

·      300ml/10½fl oz Milk

How to make it:

·      Preheat the oven to 180°C.

·      Peel one garlic clove and rub it all around the inside of a 1.2litre/2 pint ovenproof dish.

·      Crush the garlic cloves into paste and mix it with the sea salt

·      Layer the sliced potato and mashed garlic in the ovenproof dish, seasoning the layers as you go with freshly ground black pepper.

·      Combine the milk and cream in a jug and pour over the sliced potatoes

·      Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden-brown and bubbling.