A clean wheat flavour that mixes well with the starchy sweetness. With excellent results in terms of consistency and backbone. The natural taste and flavour characteristics of this pasta, together with its history, lead us to use its more feminine side, with lavender, which in the amounts stated enhances the flavour of the pasta while remaining delicate on the taste buds. We balance this dish with raw and cooked artichoke, also adding toasted hazelnuts The result is exciting, with big aromas, excellent texture, and crispness. Edible flowers complete this elegant picture.
INGREDIENTS
• 160 g Graziella Ra penne pasta
• 2 artichokes
• The tip of a spoon of Lavender Flower powder (ground in a spice grinder)
• 30 g toasted hazelnuts
• 2 cloves garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil as required
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
Method
Grind the lavender to powder in the spice grinder.
Clean the artichoke heart and stem.
Use the stem for the cooked part and the heart for the raw part.
Dice the stem and cook it in a pan with the garlic, oil and lavender powder; cut the heart into julienne strips and cover with wet paper to stop it from turning black.
Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water.
Blend the stem and lavender sauce to form a cream.
Drain the pasta rather al dente (3 minutes before) and stir it into the boiling sauce of artichoke stems and lavender.
Season the artichoke hearts with oil and salt, plate up the pasta, sprinkle with the ground hazelnuts, and garnish with the raw artichokes.
You can even add some edible flowers.
Pairing with local wine
Organic Bianchello del Metauro Doc Superiore
The light, bitter, aromatic and toasted flavour of the dish works well with the bouquet of white flowers, citrus, peach flesh and mango of this wine.
by Otello Renzi
