Thursday Recipe

This week's recipe is a spin on one of Giada de Laurentiis's recipes. I basically took the method, but substituted my own ingredients. This is a comfort food type dish (for me anyway, growing up with pasta dinner on Sundays). It's one of my favorite pasta dishes and definitely makes you feel all warm inside after eating it.

Pasta with Artichokes and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients
1 pound pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can artichokes drained well and chopped
6 oz sun-dried tomatoes
1 cup (about 3 1/2-ounces) grated Asiago
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, warm olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the artichokes and tomatoes and cook about 2 more minutes. Add the cooked pasta and toss. Add the cheeses, salt, pepper, and the pasta cooking liquid and stir to combine.

Transfer the pasta to a serving plate and serve.

**Notes - I prefer cavatappi (corkscrews) for this particular recipe, but you can use any type of pasta you prefer - penne, fusilli, rigatoni. For the sun-dried tomatoes, 6oz is an estimate, you can use more or less depending on your personal preference. I recommend the sun-dried tomoatoes in water or oil as the other ones tend to be a little too chewy. If you aren't a fan of artichokes, you can substitute spinach or zucchini, whatever you like.