Recipe - Sicilian Artichoke And Pasta Soup

1 tablespoon Extravirgin olive oil
4 ounce Pancetta or meaty salt pork;
minced
1 lg Onion; minced
2 Cloves garlic; cut or sliced up
1 Stalk celery with leaves on;
cut or sliced up
2 tablespoon Italian parsley; chopped
1 pound Baby artichokes or 10 oz
frozen artichokes; trimmed,
quartered
Three fourths cup Tomatoes;peeled,cored,and
mashed, or canned is fine
1 teaspoon Sea salt
One half teaspoon Pepper
8 cup Water
One half pound Short pasta
Three fourths cup Romano cheese (preferably
Pecorino); freshly grated

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta,
onion, garlic, celery, and parsley,and saute for 6 minutes, stirring often.
Stir in the artichokes and saute for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the
tomatoes, salt, pepper, and water, mix well, and bring to a simmer. Cook
for 30 minutes. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 78 minutes.
Serve the soup hot showered with the cheese.

NOTES : This recipe is by Chef Carlo Middione of Vivande Ristorante in San
Francisco California. His suggestion for the type of short pasta to use is
ditalini, lumanche, conchigliette, or rigatoncini.
Recipe by: The Magazine of La Cucina Feb 1998

Posted to MCRecipe Digest by John Pellegrino gigimfg@ix.netcom.com on
Apr 16, 1998