Ditilini with Mushrooms and Artichokes

This is a Giada De Laurentiis pasta from Everyday Pasta. I changed it by halving the pasta and leaving the sauce the same. Which is something I do quite often, it probably stems from me having had a gluten intolerance for a few years. Very fortunately after I was pregnant the shock and re-boot to the system seems to have cleared it for the main part, but if I eat too much bread or pasta it can flare up a bit. So my remedy is to eat a bit less of the the lovely carb-y pasta.

We thought this was really very good, the sauce was not runny, it just coated the pasta more thickly. Mushrooms, Marsala and cream, a classic combination in themselves, but with a bit more added here. I used tinned well drained artichokes because I have never seen them frozen here and fresh is a nice treat for a very short time in the Summer months.

I served this as an all inclusive side dish to some roasted chicken. The pasta shape is ditalini, little fingers or thimbles, I discovered it last year when making another recipe from Giada’s Family Dinners. I am very fond of the little shapes, and they are a bit more dainty for a side dish. To make it with the full amount of pasta suggested by Giada just use 500g pasta, but you get more vegetables per person for a side dish with half.

Ditilini with Mushrooms and Artichokes

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped

1 pound mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and finely chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 3/4 teaspoon

1 cup dry Marsala wine

1/2 pound frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

1/2 cup cream

3/4 cup grated Parmesan
250g ditalini pasta
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

freshly ground black pepper

Place the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms have cooked down, about 10 minutes. Add the Marsala and continue cooking until almost all the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Stir in remaining salt. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and add it into the mushrooms, Marsala and onions. Add the artichoke hearts, Parmesan and cream and cook until the artichokes are heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.