orecchiette with artichokes & goat’s cheese

I’ve been experimenting with black garlic recently. It’s white garlic that has been aged so that it changes colour and develops a much milder, sweeter, almost pickled/smoked flavour. I like it.

I think it’s best added as a raw ingredient so its flavour is able to stand out – salad dressing is a good option but I've also been enjoying it in some simple pasta dishes, including this very simple artichoke and goat’s cheese one.

I do love the roasted marinated artichokes you can get at the deli – chopped into bite size pieces and mixed with chopped goats’ cheese (optional, if you want a lighter vegan dish), olive oil, lemon zest, crushed garlic (I used black but roasted would also be really lovely), fresh basil leaves and a bit of lemon juice makes a very easy and delicious sauce for orecchiette. Perfect if you don’t feel like doing any “proper” cooking.