Perfect for New Years Eve Dinner!

10 ounces dry linguine
1 jar (14.75-ounce) CARA MIA Marinated Artichoke Hearts
2 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons STAR Originale Olive Oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pound frozen, uncooked, peeled and deveined extra large shrimp, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Black pepper, to taste
Dill sprigs; for garnish

Directions
Cook linguine according to package directions. Reserving 3/4 cup liquid, drain artichoke hearts; set aside. Add water to reserved liquid to equal 1 cup and set aside.

In large skillet, sauté garlic in oil. Add cornstarch to reserved liquid and mix well. Add to skillet; heat to simmer, stirring constantly until thickened. Stir in shrimp and cook until pink and done. Add artichoke hearts and heat through. Season with fresh dill, salt and black pepper. Serve hot over drained linguine. Garnish with dill sprigs.

Serves 6

By Nora Dunne, from The Christian Science Monitor
Click here for full article 

A frittata is bigger and better than an omelette and simple to make.

Ingredients:
8 eggs
2 medium potatoes, quartered and thinly sliced
1 6-ounce jar of artichokes, rinsed (frozen artichokes work, too)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup Romano or parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pepper to taste
Directions:
Rinse and dry potatoes. Sautée in oiled skillet until tender and slightly browned. Meanwhile, blend eggs, artichokes, parsley, cheese and pepper in a large mixing bowl. When potatoes are done, add all to egg mixture. Stir and add to re-oiled skillet, then cover and cook for 15 minutes on the stove top at medium heat. Slide onto large plate and reverse back into pan. Let cook another 2 minutes, uncovered.

Serve warm or at room temperature, cut in wedges.

2 tablespoons STAR Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
8 slices (about 3/8-inch thick) baguette or small whole-grain rustic bread
1 jar (6.5-ounce) CARA MIA Marinated Artichoke Hearts, drained
1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper; to taste
Paprika; for garnish


Directions
Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat and sauté garlic until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain, reserving oil, and set aside. Brush both sides of bread slices with reserved garlic-flavored oil. Toast on grill or in skillet over medium-high heat until golden and crisp on both sides. Transfer to serving platter and set aside.

In same skillet, reheat remaining oil over medium-high heat and sauté drained artichoke hearts until golden, 3 to 4 minutes; cool. Season ricotta with salt and pepper; spread about 1 tablespoon on each slice of bread. Top with sautéed garlic and artichoke hearts; sprinkle with paprika and drizzle with additional olive oil, if desired.

Serves 8

Picture from Wikipedia

The Dutch introduced artichokes to England, where they grew in Henry VIII's garden in 1530.

Click here for the recipe from Cooking Light

.

http://media.ny1.com/media/2010/11/9/video/COOKtuesday_2690830.mp4

Click to watch the video here 

Today’s recipe for lasagna uses "no boiling required" lasagna sheets, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and a milk-based béchamel sauce instead of marinara sauce.

Ingredients:
1 box "no boiling required" lasagna sheets
6 tbs butter
6 tbs all-purpose flour
3 cups of milk
1 bay leaf
Ground nutmeg
15 ounces ricotta cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 large egg
1 box frozen spinach
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes
14 ounces artichoke hearts (use Cara Mia Artichokes in water)

Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then use a deep, heavy-bottomed stainless steel pot to melt the butter. Add the all-purpose flour, whisk that in and let it cook along for a minute or two.

Next, add the milk, a bay leaf and a tiny sprinkling of ground nutmeg and whisk that occasionally as it comes up to a simmer. The idea with the béchamel is to let it simmer along just until it thickens up and then turn the heat off after about 10 minutes.

While keeping an eye on the sauce, use a mixing bowl to combine a tub of ricotta cheese, the grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese, an egg, a well-drained box of chopped frozen spinach, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and a can of well-drained, chopped artichoke hearts. Mix everything together.

Remove the bay leaf from the béchamel and place 3/4 cup of the sauce into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Top that with four pasta sheets, one-third of the cheese mixture and a little more béchamel. Add another layer of pasta sheets, another third of the cheese mixture and more béchamel, and then another pasta layer, the last third of the cheese mixture and some more béchamel. Top it all off with a last pasta layer and the last of the béchamel sauce.

Wrap the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil, place it on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes.