Pasta with Artichokes, Capers, and Toasted Breadcrumbs -- #recipe from @LeslieBudewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  A pasta dish? From your trip? From the cooking class in Florence?

No—more of those to come, I promise. (In September, we spent two weeks in Switzerland and Italy, hiking and eating.) But when I saw this in the Washington Post, it caught my eye—plus we hadn’t been to the grocery store yet, except for a quick stop on the way home from the airport for juice and milk, and we had all the ingredients in the pantry! You might, too, which makes this an easy dinner that looks more complicated than it is.

You know those recipes that say “ready in twenty minutes,” so you dive in, and an hour later, you’re hangry as heck? This one really does take less than twenty minutes.

You might be skeptical of a pasta dish that doesn’t call for cheese. Mr. Right was. But we both loved the savory crunch, and the hint of sweetness in the sauce that the honey adds, and didn’t miss the Parmesan. (A tour guide at a winery outside Siena: “There’s formaggio [cheese], and then there’s mozzarella.”) And of course, that makes it a rare pasta dish suitable for vegans. 

I make my own Italian seasoning blend, though you can use any blend you like. My recipe is in Killing Thyme, the third Spice Shop mystery, and here, in the post for my recipe for Herbed Black Bean Pasta Salad. 

Pasta with Artichokes, Capers, and Toasted Breadcrumbs

Adapted from a recipe by Aaron Hutcherson in the Washington Post

8 ounces spaghetti, or any other long pasta (we used fettucine)

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1/2 cup panko or other breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend 

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

One (12 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts (if you’ve got a larger jar, as I do, about 1 cup artichokes, plus 1/4 cup of the marinade) 

2 tablespoons nonpareil capers, coarsely chopped

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon honey

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Pour pasta into a colander to drain, but don’t worry about getting it too dry

In a large skillet warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium. Add the panko, seasoning blend, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the breadcrumbs begin to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, then wipe out the skillet and return it to the stove, with the heat off. (Don’t burn your finger trying to get it clean like I did; a few crumbs don’t matter.)

Drain the artichokes, reserving 1/4 cup of marinade. They will likely be halves and quarters; cut into quarters or eighths, lengthwise. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet and warm. Add the artichokes, capers, and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the artichokes start to turn golden, about 7 minutes.

Add the honey and reserved marinade. Cook for about 1 minute. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss until coated. If the pasta looks too dry, add a bit of the reserved pasta water, no more than a tablespoon at a time. 

Transfer the pasta to a serving platter or individual bowls. Sprinkle with the seasoned breadcrumbs and serve.

Serves 2-4. 

We keep marinated artichokes, capers, and asparagus in our fridge most of the year. What pickled or marinated foods are a must-have to you? Surprisingly good in pasta! 

From the cover of BLIND FAITH, written as Alicia Beckman (Crooked Lane Books, October 11, 2022)  

Long-buried secrets come back with a vengeance in a cold case gone red-hot in Agatha Award-winning author Alicia Beckman’s second novel, perfect for fans of Laura Lippman and Greer Hendricks.

Two women whose paths crossed in Montana years ago discover they share keys to a deadly secret that exposes a killer—and changes everything they thought they knew about themselves. 

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries, continuing in July 2022 with Peppermint Barked. She's the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories. Death al Dente, the first Food Lovers' Village Mystery, won Best First Novel in 2013, following her 2011 win in Best Nonfiction. Her first historical short story, "All God's Sparrows," won the 2018 Agatha Award for Best Short Story. As Alicia Beckman, she writes standalone suspense, beginning with Bitterroot Lake (2021) and continuing with Blind Faith (October 2022, Crooked Lane Books).

A past president of Sisters in Crime and a current board member of Mystery Writers of America, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by her website and subscribe to her seasonal newsletter, for a chat about the writing life, what she's working on, and  what she's reading -- and a free short story. And join her on Facebook where she shares book news and giveaways from her writer friends, and talks about food, mysteries, and the things that inspire her.