mafalde corte con carciofi e spalla di maiale
mafalde corte with artichokes and pork shoulder
Artichoke is fantastic cooked from fresh but quite fiddly and messy to prepare, and even today not always in season. For those reasons I find it’s a great idea to have either artichokes in oil or water in the pantry. The jarred variety in oil - the ones you see sometimes added to antipasti - are tastier and loads richer than the tins of artichokes in water, however I think the plainer type works a little better in this dish.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO
(scroll down for the full method)
• fry/char the artichokes
• fry the pork
• boil the pasta
• combine, plate and serve
mafalde corte with artichokes and pork shoulder
INGREDIENTS
FOR FOUR PEOPLE
• 2-3 pork shoulder steaks
• 300-400g artichoke hearts
• smoked paprika
PASTA
400g dry mafalde corte (Sainsbury’s)
/ farfalle
MANTECATURA
little to moderate
OTHER VARIATIONS
• bacon, sausage, pancetta or chorizo
swap the pork shoulder for any of these and perhaps fresh, torn thyme or basil
METHOD
Begin by draining the water from the artichoke hearts and cutting them in half. If you’re using artichokes in oil, drain the oil and then rest the artichokes on a few sheets of kitchen to remove as much excess as you can.
Heat a non-stick pan to a high temperatire, wipe with EVO, and then brifely warm and char the artoichokes - a little bit of colour is fine, just don’t burn them.
If you’re able to, I’d always advise breaking out the BBQ and grilling the pork shoulder over coals. Failing that, use a heavy iron pan and cook it for an extended time in that. Pork shoulder steaks are often quite fatty, which means they have a self-basting superpower that keeps them juicier when cooked for longer. And that means that you can turn up the heat and get the surface nicely charred, whilst, hopefully, not drying out all the way through. I also love the taste of bay leaves with pork, so if you have some throw a few into the pan as it fries. When the pork shoulder’s cooked, reomve from the heat and chop into chunks.
Whilst the pork is cooking, begin to heat the water for the pasta. Boil following the packet instructions. I normally fish the pasta out of the water when it’s just past ‘al dente’ but still has a firm chew to it, and then transfer it to a tossing pan with the artichokes. Add a splash of cooking water, a drizzle of oil, a sprinkle of smoked paprike, and toss to combine.
Add the pork, toss again, and serve immediately.
NUTRITION per serving
KCAL: 469
Fat (g): 19
Sat Fat (g): 6.6
Carb (g): 35.5
Sug (g): 1.9
Fibre(g): 4.9
Prot (g): 34.4
Salt (g): .82
Nutritional information is provided as an indication only of approximate values for the recipe on this page. You should make your own calculations if you have specific dietry requirements or are required to follow a strict calorie-controlled diet.
