In the 1980's in New York City, there was a restaurant on Broadway that had a menu full of really interesting international fusion dishes that I just loved. They would mix Asian ingredients into Italian dishes, or put Thai spices on Mexican food. The outcome was always unique and awakening interesting. One of the pasta dishes on their menu impressed me so much that it became the first restaurant item I had ever mentally de-constructed, recreated, and improved upon. It pairs Mediterranean artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes with Japanese shitake mushrooms to become an East / West flavor smash! I was very unhappy when the restaurant closed, but I am keeping the memory of their approach to food alive with my own recipe, which I have been making since the time when Duran Duran ruled the music charts!
Ingredients:
—1 pound Penne Pasta
—1 14 ounce can of Quartered Artichoke Hearts
—1 eight ounce jar of Julienne Cut Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil
—1 one ounce package of dried Shitake Mushrooms
—1/4 cup Olive Oil
Garnish With:
—Plenty of grated Parmesan Cheese
Directions:
Remove the dried shitake mushrooms from their package, and place them in a bowl of warm water. Allow them 10 minutes to resuscitate, and absorb water.
Open the can of quartered artichoke hearts and drain them. If you start with a can of whole artichoke hearts, drain them and carefully quarter them.
With a set of kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, remove the tough part of the stems from the mushrooms, and cut the mushroom caps into quarter inch strips. Return them to the water so that the cut edges can continue to absorb moisture.
If the jar of sun-dried tomatoes are whole, and not julienne cut already, remove them from the jar, retaining the oil they came in, and using kitchen scissors, cut them into quarter inch strips. If the jar of tomatoes is already julienne cut, just open them and set them aside.
Put a large pot of water on the stove, and bring it to a boil for the penne pasta. Cook the penne according to the package. Drain the pasta, and set it aside. In the large pot the pasta was boiled in, and add the quarter cup of olive oil, the sun-dried tomatoes and their packing oil, the drained artichoke hearts, and the drained shitake mushrooms. Turn the stove up to medium heat under the pot, and gently stir together all of the ingredients. Basically you are just warming up the vegetables, and melding together all of the different flavors. After two minutes add the cooked Penne pasta to the pot, and mix it together with all of the other ingredients over the heat.
After about two minutes of sautéing together in the olive oil, the pasta is ready to plate. I recommend one or more tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top of each individual serving. The distinctively flavorful Japanese shitake mushrooms, teamed with Italian sun-dried tomatoes, and the exotic artichoke hearts work perfectly together with the pasta and sharp tasting cheese.
One of the great things about this recipe is the fact that it tastes just as good the day after you make it. And, it is also great the next day as a cold salad, tossed with more Parmesan cheese. Japan meets Italy on a plate, and the results are fantastic!
Ingredients:
—1 pound Penne Pasta
—1 14 ounce can of Quartered Artichoke Hearts
—1 eight ounce jar of Julienne Cut Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil
—1 one ounce package of dried Shitake Mushrooms
—1/4 cup Olive Oil
Garnish With:
—Plenty of grated Parmesan Cheese
Directions:
Remove the dried shitake mushrooms from their package, and place them in a bowl of warm water. Allow them 10 minutes to resuscitate, and absorb water.
Open the can of quartered artichoke hearts and drain them. If you start with a can of whole artichoke hearts, drain them and carefully quarter them.
With a set of kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, remove the tough part of the stems from the mushrooms, and cut the mushroom caps into quarter inch strips. Return them to the water so that the cut edges can continue to absorb moisture.
If the jar of sun-dried tomatoes are whole, and not julienne cut already, remove them from the jar, retaining the oil they came in, and using kitchen scissors, cut them into quarter inch strips. If the jar of tomatoes is already julienne cut, just open them and set them aside.
Put a large pot of water on the stove, and bring it to a boil for the penne pasta. Cook the penne according to the package. Drain the pasta, and set it aside. In the large pot the pasta was boiled in, and add the quarter cup of olive oil, the sun-dried tomatoes and their packing oil, the drained artichoke hearts, and the drained shitake mushrooms. Turn the stove up to medium heat under the pot, and gently stir together all of the ingredients. Basically you are just warming up the vegetables, and melding together all of the different flavors. After two minutes add the cooked Penne pasta to the pot, and mix it together with all of the other ingredients over the heat.
After about two minutes of sautéing together in the olive oil, the pasta is ready to plate. I recommend one or more tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top of each individual serving. The distinctively flavorful Japanese shitake mushrooms, teamed with Italian sun-dried tomatoes, and the exotic artichoke hearts work perfectly together with the pasta and sharp tasting cheese.
One of the great things about this recipe is the fact that it tastes just as good the day after you make it. And, it is also great the next day as a cold salad, tossed with more Parmesan cheese. Japan meets Italy on a plate, and the results are fantastic!