From the Dolomites to Sicily

Crab, artichokes, and mild cheese...a match made in heaven. I discovered this combination at http://ediblearia.com. The blogger describes the ingredients, but only vaguely describes how to make this dish. That's probably because he is quite an experienced cook. Personally, I am still learning...so I struggled with his instructions. In spite of my struggle, the final product was soothing to my palate and my soul. It almost seemed like comfort food, because of the creamy sauce and the delicate blend of flavors.

Artichokes were mentioned in Greek and Roman literature as early as 77 A.D., and seem to have originated in Sicily. Sicily is also well known for seafood, such as crab and the squid ink that was used to make the pasta black. Asiago Cheese was made in the Dolomite Mountain Region of Northern Italy as early as 1000 years ago.

I will try to explain how I made this dish...but some of it was guesswork. I was really lucky that it worked!
The ingredients were

• crab meat,
• artichoke hearts,
• veloute sauce,
• shallots,
• white wine,
• cream,
• seafood stock,
• salt and pepper,
• Asiago cheese, and
• flat-leaf parsley.

I first made the Veloute sauce by making a roux with flour and water. I then added seafood stock and continued heating the Veloute sauce until it was the thickness I wanted. I then added the other ingredients and continuously stirred the mixture over heat until thoroughly heated and the crab was fully cooked. In the meantime, I prepared the black pasta. I served it immediately with fresh bread.