Quick. Somebody pinch me.Either I’m dreaming or a whole bunch of parched souls somewhere real far south finally got their ice water.

My husband ate a bunch of sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes. Voluntarily. And he liked them.

I didn’t sneak them in. I didn’t cleverly tuck them away or cut them into small pieces to hide them. I said, “I hope you like this,” and went full-speed ahead with Operation Eat a Bowl of Cereal if You Don’t Like It.

I fell in love with a picture in Family Dinners a while back. Unfortunately, it had sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes – two veggies in a house that’s half anti-vegetable. A couple of months ago, my husband reached over and stole a chunk of sun-dried tomato from my plate, ate it, and well – he didn’t die.

I decided to make the dish for dinner and if he didn’t like it, the oven would still be warm enough from roasting garlic that I could throw in a frozen pizza. Luckily, I didn’t have to resort to Red Baron’s. He ate it and liked it – every bit. Of both bowls 🙂

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Farfalle with Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced, 2 tablespoons of oil reserved
• 1/2 lb mild Italian sausage
• 8 oz artichoke hearts, quartered
• 2 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 8 oz farfalle pasta
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan, plus additional for garnish
• 2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped
• 8 oz mozzarella, cubed (optional)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the oil reserved from the tomatoes in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the sausages and cook until brown, breaking up the meat into bite-size pieces with a fork, about 8 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a bowl.
3. Add the artichokes and garlic to the same skillet, and saute over medium heat until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the broth, wine, and sun-dried tomatoes. Boil over medium-high heat until the sauce reduces slightly, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
6. Cook the pasta in boiling water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta (do not rinse).
7. Add the pasta, sausage, Parmesan, basil, and parsley to the artichoke mixture.
8. Toss until the sauce is almost absorbed by the pasta.
9. Stir in the mozzarella. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
10. Serve, passing the additional Parmesan cheese alongside.

Notes

Yields: 2 servings

Adapted from Giada's Family Dinners

Estimated time: 30 minutes