Pasta with Artichokes and Parmesan

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Cooked pasta

1. 1
   Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water (4¼ cups of water and a heaping teaspoon of salt for every 4 oz of pasta), following the package directions (taste about 2 minutes early), until al dente.

   ⚙ Cooking in salted waterStovePot

   💡The water should taste like a seasoned soup, not like sea water: a heaping teaspoon of salt per liter. Add the salt once the water is boiling.
2. 2
   Reserve cup of the cooking water before draining.

   ⚙ Saving the cooking waterLadleorMeasuring cup

   💡The cooking water is starchy: a spoonful or two binds the sauce to the pasta or the gnocchi and makes it glossy.
3. 3
   Drain.

   Colander

To assemble

1. 4
   Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan
2. 5
   Add the garlic and fry 2 minutes, until fragrant.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 6
   Add the artichoke hearts and fry 3–4 minutes, until lightly golden.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove
4. 7
   Pour in the wine and cook 2 minutes.

   Stove
5. 8
   Add the cream and chili pepper and bring to a gentle boil. Turn down the heat and simmer 3–4 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.

   ⚙ SimmeringStove

   💡Reduce cream at a gentle bubble, not a hard boil: a few minutes is enough for it to thicken, and loosen a sauce that got too thick with a spoonful of pasta water.

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
6. 9
   Add the drained pasta and a little of the cooking water, season with salt and black pepper and toss for about a minute over low heat, until the sauce clings to the pasta.

   Stove
7. 10
   Add the Parmesan and stir, until it melts and the sauce is smooth.
8. 11
   Sprinkle the basil and more grated Parmesan on top and serve immediately.