Artichoke & olive pasta

[cimorene]

Here's my new favorite dish! I was googling for artichoke pasta dishes and read various different ones before throwing this together and it's not exactly like any of them. I always cook for two.

1. Heat a chunk of butter and a few tbsp olive oil in a wok or big skillet.



2. This is where you would saute ½ a diced onion and a few cloves of crushed garlic, before adding any other ingredients, if you didn't have sensitivities that prevent it. (My stomach can only take tiny amounts of cooked onion and waxjism can't stand the smell of fresh garlic in the house, so I substitute powders or, sometimes, chives or leeks for the onion.)



3. Dump a bowlful of halved cherry tomatoes in the pan to sautee (medium high) until softened. I sprinkle the powdered garlic in at this point. You can also use canned crushed tomatoes (1 can), but the result can easily get too heavily tomato-y so be careful.



4. When they're soft, the tomato juice and oil will have started to thicken. Sprinkle in a tsp or so of dried basil if you don't have the fresh stuff (I add the fresh kind much later). I add some liquid, sometimes some more oil if there's too little sauce in the pan, and, if I have it, a small amount of frozen spinach (fresh is fine too!). Cook covered on medium-low till the spinach is melted/wilted, stir, and add some more seasonings, like a pinch of chili powder and cumin and a generous sprinkling of oregano.



5. Stir in a lot of quartered artichoke hearts. I prefer the unseasoned kind, but I usually end up trying to rinse off the flavored oil and it never all comes off. Cook until they're soft. Turn off the heat.



6. Stir in a bunch of halved (or sliced) olives. I prefer green but lots of people prefer black. You can also use both of course!