In 2022, we read Stanley Tucci’s book, Taste: My Life Through Food for book club. It was an extra special night at Radnor Hunt as Charles Nichols, our amazing chef, created a meal using some of Tucci’s recipes from the book including Pino Posteraro’s Fettuccine with Ragout alla Bolognese and Spaghetti with Lentils. It made talking about the book and Tucci’s recipes much more fun knowing we were going to get to enjoy some of them. These dishes were so good.
Knowing how much Tucci loves food and particularly food from his Italian heritage, I was dismayed to learn that he had given up eating gluten for periods of time for health reasons. As a result, I took his recommendation for Rummo gluten-free pasta seriously. In his words “Rummo, in particular, is for me the one brand of gluten-free pasta that is able to achieve some of the elasticity and depth that we recognize in regular pasta.” While he’s not saying it’s a perfect substitute – there really is none for classic pasta made with semolina or durum wheat flour – it is a good alternative. Having eaten many varieties of gluten-free pasta over the years, I’m with Tucci – this is the best I have found. I now purchase (on Amazon) and stock both Rummo’s gluten-free penne and linguine in our pantry. Rummo has been making pasta in Italy since 1846 and introduced their gluten-free line in 2015.
All of the ingredients of this dish are staples in my house which makes it a great weeknight dish. It can be served with a short pasta of your choosing – either with gluten or without.
Don’t let the recipe title fool you, I use Mezzetta Grilled Artichoke Hearts which are already grilled. If you can’t find grilled artichoke hearts in a jar (you may also find them in an antipasto bar), you can use artichoke hearts that are marinated or packed in water. While I like frozen artichoke hearts, I don’t recommend them for this dish as they release too much water when cooking and may make the dish soggy.
Combine these delicious artichokes with pancetta, capers, olives and lemon and you have a flavor-packed pasta.
| Grilled Artichoke Hearts and Pancetta Penne | | Print |
- 4 to 6 ounces penne or other short pasta (regular or gluten-free)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 ounces diced pancetta
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, optional (see Notes)
- 1 14.5 ounce jar of grilled artichoke hearts, drained and cut into chunks (see Notes)
- 1 medium shallot, sliced
- 1-1/2 ounces capers (nonpareil)
- 10 kalamata olives, sliced in half lengthwise
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- ½ ounce (1/4 cup) Pecorino Romano cheese plus more for serving
- 8 to 10 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced (chiffonade-style)
- In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Generously salt the water. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally. Follow the directions on the package and cook until just al dente. Reserve about ½ cup of the cooking water and drain pasta in a colander.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook diced pancetta until crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to a plate. Drain all but 2 teaspoons of fat from the pan (alternatively use 2 teaspoons of olive oil).
- Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add artichoke hearts and shallot slices. Cook, stirring for 3 minutes or until shallots are soft.
- Add capers, olives, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring for 1 minute.
- Add reserved pancetta and stir.
- Add lemon zest, lemon juice and ¼ cup pasta water. (If the pasta isn’t quite done, you can skim the water off the top of the pot.) Cook, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes. If it needs more liquid, add some additional pasta water.
- Remove the pan from the stove. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper.
- Divide penne between two pasta bowls and top with artichoke mixture.
- Garnish with fresh basil.
- Serve with additional Pecorino Romano cheese.
* I use Mezzetta Grilled Artichoke Hearts. You could also use marinated artichoke hearts (drained) or artichoke hearts packed in water (drained and patted dry). I do not recommend frozen artichoke hearts for this dish as they release too much water.
This is packed with flavor. I was surprised to learn about, and actually find, grilled artichokes at my small grocery store. I happened to have some leftover bacon; so I used that instead of pancetta. Delicious!
Susie – How wonderful that you were able to find grilled artichokes! I’m so glad that you liked this.