
Dinner tonight was supposed to be "Herb Butter-and-Goat Cheese Linguine with Fresh Tomatoes". Doesn't that sound delicious? Well, never send a man out to do a woman's work. I sent Phil out to get the ingredients to make this pasta dish. I thought it was a well known fact that we never buy produce at grocery store "K". Everyone knows that....right? We only buy produce at Whole Foods or Publix. Doesn't everyone know that? We have been married over 17 years...have we never discussed this? Apparently not, because my darling husband, purchased several bags of produce from grocery store "K". Sometimes you can get away with "K"s produce, but tomatoes?!?!? Not just tomatoes....I sent him out for heirloom tomatoes. Phil is a brilliant gardener, and grows the most amazing vegetables and herbs...including heirloom tomatoes that he grew from seeds one year! This man knows heirloom tomatoes!

I open the grocery bag, and see five pale, yellow tomatoes, on a vine. I smell them, and smell nada. No fresh, garden tomato smell, you expect in a fresh tomato. Then I see the sticker...."Imported From Canada". Canada?!?!?! Since when is Canada know for growing any type of fresh produce? Now I am very worried. My whole pasta dish is depending on fresh tomatoes! I give them a quick wash, and begin to chop them up. I am actually afraid to taste them, because as I am chopping, they don't even smell like tomatoes...they smell like nothing. I finally decide that I cannot put these in my pasta dish without tasting them, so I pop one in my mouth. GROSS!!!! It tastes terrible! They are mushy and mealy, and makes me want to gag. I asked Phil to taste it, and he immediately tells me to throw them all away, because they are terrible. No kidding! Who buys tomatoes from Canada? My gardener husband should have known better!

In all fairness to him, he saved the day with his ingredient substitution suggestion. I was just going to prepare the pasta dish, without any vegetable. He started thinking of suitable substitutions, that we already had in the house. First he suggested canned tomatoes, but I thought that would take away from the delicate herbs in the sauce. Then he suggested cannelinni beans. Maybe...but I still thought it was too heavy for this dish. Then, he can up with the perfect solution.....canned artichokes! I thought about it for a minute, and started to think that it would not only work, but would be good. Phil went to the pantry, found a can of artichoke hearts, and the rest is recipe history.

As our tomatoes ripen, and are ready to be picked, I will make this recipe with our home grown tomatoes. I may even make it with tomatoes AND artichokes! In the meantime, one of the most important things to remember in cooking is to be willing to be creative and improvise. Sometimes, you end up with a new dish, even better than the original!

Herb Butter-and-Goat Cheese Spaghetti with Artichokes
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 # thin spaghetti
8 oz. crumbled goat cheese
6 T. butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
1/2 c. white wine
1/4 c. flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/4 c. fresh dill, finely chopped
2 T. fresh basil or tarragon, finely chopped
2 T. fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 cans of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (or 2 c. chopped heirloom tomatoes)
Cook the pasta in salted water to al dente. Drain, and reserve a ladleful of the pasta cooking water.
While pasta is cooking, add the goat cheese to a large serving bowl. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add shallots and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in wine and cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Add in all fresh herbs. Stir in reserved pasta cooking water.

This is what the herb sauce will look like.
Add the pasta to the goat cheese. Pour the herb sauce on top, season with pepper and toss for 1 minute. Add the artichokes (or tomatoes) and toss gently for another minute; season with salt and pepper.
Latest Comments