Mediterranean style chicken and artichoke whole wheat pasta

Sometimes the best dishes are those that I’ve cooked quickly.  I came home kind of late last night and needed to make a fast and healthy meal.  I was pretty much throwing ingredients together that I thought would make tasty combinations.  It came together in less than 30 minutes and the whole family along with a friend who happened to be hanging out all enjoyed dinner together.  I love that.  There’s nothing like eating a meal together and chatting and talking on a cool summer evening when the sun takes a long time to set.   The tangy taste of the feta and artichokes with the hint of rosemary really makes this dish taste like summer….all bright and sunny!

Saute the boneless, skinless chicken thighs with some fresh garlic

Added in marinated artichoke hearts, tomatoes, flat leafed parsley and fresh dill to the chicken

Add some dried rosemary and feta cheese to the sauce

Few handfuls of fresh spinach tossed in at the very end

Add whole wheat pasta and serve

3 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces

3 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 bunch flat leafed parsley, coarsely chopped

1 cup of marinated artichokes, rough chopped

1/2 cup feta cheese

1 tbsp fresh dill

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp salt

1 can italian style stewed tomatoes or 2 Roma tomatoes chopped

2 big handfuls of fresh baby spinach

1/2 pound of whole wheat pasta (linguine, fettuccine or egg noodles)

Cook whole wheat pasta to al dente.  In a large skillet or wok heat olive oil, add chicken,salt and garlic and saute for a few minutes until chicken is no longer pink.  Add in tomatoes, artichoke hearts, dill and parsley.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add in dried rosemary and feta cheese and cook for about 1 minute.  Add in spinach and let it wilt into the sauce.  Turn off heat.  Toss in cooked pasta and serve immediately.

Lemon Artichoke Shrimp Pasta

My friend Diane Hubbard told me that she was inspired to make Preserved Lemons  http://kolpona.com/2012/03/08/preserved-lemons/ and now she wanted more recipes that used Preserved Lemons besides North African or Middle Eastern dishes.  I took that as a challenge and decided that for tonight’s dinner I was going to make a dish with Preserved Lemons and anything else I had on hand in the kitchen, WITHOUT going to the grocery store.  It felt like a pasta kind of night.  A few minutes after cooking dinner, our friends Tasi and Soloa dropped by.

They ate all the pasta, Banana bread from this morning, Onion Dill bread from yesterday, Double Chocolate Chili cookies and took home some Lentil soup I’d made. I love feeding people who like to eat.  Let me tell you, when two big Samoans come over from the gym, they can eat some stuff.  So, Diane here’s a recipe inspired by you. Tasi and Soloa seem to think it’s pretty darn good and I think it’s a keeper.  By the way, it serves  a family of 6 or two hungry Samoans.

Ingredients at a glance.

Saute shrimp in olive oil with a little salt, garlic and ginger.  Take it out as soon it barely turns light pink.

In the remaining oil add tablespoon of butter.

Finished pasta dish.

Here’s the recipe:

Lemon Artichoke Shrimp Pasta

1 lb of pasta (Linguine, Spaghetti, Fettucine – I only had Spaghetti on hand so I used that, next time I think I will use Linguine)

8-10 Large Shrimp,  cleaned with tail on

3 whole garlic cloves minced

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 tomato, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pound young Asparagus, trimmed

4 oz jar of marinated Artichoke hearts

1/2 preserved lemon, rinsed and chopped

1 tsp Rosemary, chopped

1/4 cup chopped flat leafed Parsley

1/2 tsp salt

fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup crumbled Feta

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

In a 5 quart stock pot boil water with 5 tablespoons of salt (should be like sea water salty) for the pasta and cook pasta according to package directions.

In a large skillet heat olive oil and saute shrimp, salt, garlic and ginger until the Shrimp turn into a light pink shade, about 1 minute or so.  Take Shrimp out of the pan and set aside.  In the same oil add tablespoon of butter.  Add chopped onion, preserved lemon and tomato along with Rosemary and fresh cracked pepper and saute 2-3 minutes until flavors are released and onions are translucent.  Add roughly chopped artichoke hearts and asparagus tips and the tender parts of the stem cut into 1 inch pieces and saute another 2-3 minutes.  Add the Shrimp back into the mixture and saute an additional minute or until the Shrimp is cooked through.  Toss in Feta Cheese and stir then add the pasta,  Parmigiano Reggiano and Parsley and toss to coat.  Take off heat and serve immediately.