Fresh pasta basket with artichokes, shrimp, and confit cherry tomatoes

Name: Fresh pasta basket with artichokes, shrimp, and confit cherry tomatoes
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 100 min
Total time: 140 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Remilled durum wheat semolina 1 ¼ cup; Water 0.42 cup; Shrimp paste 17 tbsp; Garlic 2 cloves; Extra virgin olive oil 2.7 tbsp; Artichokes 1.3 lbs; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Pomodori di Pachino (cherry tomatoes) 2 cups; Basil (chopped) 6 leaves; Thyme 2 sprigs; Fine salt to taste; Honey 2 tsp; Balsamic vinegar glaze 2 drops; Butter 2 tbsp; Type 00 flour 0.5 oz; Milk 1 cup; Fine salt to taste; Thyme 1 sprig

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594

Calories per serving

Energy Kcal 594
Carbohydrates g 76.6
of which sugars g 44.9
Protein g 20.6
Fats g 22.8
of which saturated fat g 8.27
Fiber g 8.1
Cholesterol mg 115
Sodium mg 590

Difficulty: Average
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 1 h 40 min
Makes: 4 pieces
Cost: Average

PRESENTATION

If you're searching for something that looks just as good as it tastes, the fresh pasta basket is a total showstopper. I mean, it's Italian cooking at its best. Picture this: tiny, edible bowls made from homemade pasta, packed with tender shrimp, crispy artichokes, and a scoop of confit cherry tomatoes adding a sweet and slightly tangy twist. And the sauce? What really sets this dish apart is the creamy béchamel, enhanced with fresh thyme. Seriously, it's good stuff. This aromatic, moist filling wrapped in a slightly chewy shell gives you a mix of textures not often found in regular seafood pasta dishes. The confit tomatoes melt beautifully into the mix, while the shrimp and artichokes stay crispy and tender. For sure. It’s the kind of dish you’d expect at a fancy dinner, yet it still feels wonderfully homemade.

Italian kitchens have their own regional spins—pretty much—but this version stays classic and classy. These single-serving pasta baskets, or monoporzione, are perfect for parties or special family gatherings where impressing your guests is key. And here's the thing: unlike typical pasta with artichokes and shrimp, the fresh pasta basket is all about the details—semolina dough shaped in mini cocottes, slow-cooked confit tomatoes adding a bright, almost sweet flavor, and thyme-infused béchamel sauce tying everything together. The golden crust on the outside and the moist filling inside make it as beautiful as it is tasty. No question. This dish is not only rich and filling but also light enough to serve as a starter for a larger Italian feast. Honestly, it proves that Italian pasta recipes can be both simple and absolutely show-stopping, perfect for treating friends or trying something a little more special. Sharing these pretty, tender little baskets packed with shrimp, artichokes, and those memorable confit cherry tomatoes is a delight for any occasion. Can't go wrong.

INGREDIENTS

594

Calories per serving

Ingredients for fresh pasta (for 4 baskets): Remilled durum wheat semolina 1 ¼ cup (150 g); Water 0.42 cup (100 g)

for the filling: Shrimp paste 17 tbsp (300 g); Garlic 2 cloves; Extra virgin olive oil 2.7 tbsp (40 g); Artichokes 1.3 lbs (600 g); Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

for the confit tomatoes: Pomodori di Pachino (cherry tomatoes) 2 cups (300 g); Basil 6 leaves - (chopped); Thyme 2 sprigs; Fine salt to taste; Honey 2 tsp (15 g); Balsamic vinegar glaze 2 drops

for the béchamel: Butter 2 tbsp (30 g); Type 00 flour 0.5 oz (15 g); Milk 1 cup (250 g); Fine salt to taste; Thyme 1 sprig

Preparation

How to prepare Fresh pasta basket with artichokes, shrimp, and confit cherry tomatoes

To make the fresh pasta baskets with artichokes, shrimp, and confit cherry tomatoes, start with the longest preparation: the cherry tomatoes. Follow our recipe for Cherry Tomatoes Confit: wash and dry the cherry tomatoes. Cut all the cherry tomatoes in half 1, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with the cut side up, salt and pepper to taste, drizzle each cherry tomato with the mixed vinegar and honey 2, thyme and basil chop 3. Bake in a static oven at 284°F for 70 minutes.

In the meantime, take care of the pasta: place the semolina in a bowl, pour the water little by little 4 and knead by hand until you obtain an elastic dough 5. Cover it with plastic wrap 6 and let it rest.

How to clean shrimp: remove the head, shell, extract the intestine, and cut them in half 7. Now How to clean artichokes: cut the tip and peel them down to the tenderest heart, then cut them into wedges 8. Heat a drizzle of olive oil with a clove of garlic in a pan 9,

add the artichokes 10 and sauté them for 7-8 minutes, salt 11, pepper and then turn off the heat. In another pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil with a clove of garlic 12,

this time sauté the shrimp for 3-4 minutes 13, salt, pepper and then turn off the heat 14. Take the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin on a floured surface 15

it should be about 0.16 inches thick. With molds (or bowls) with a diameter of 5.5 inches, cut out 4 pasta discs (16-17) with a serrated wheel. Meanwhile, remove the confit tomatoes from the oven, which will have become flavorful from the long cooking 18,

add them to the shrimp and also add the artichokes 19. The filling is ready, take care of the béchamel: melt the butter over low heat in a saucepan, add the sifted flour 20, and then thin it out with the hot milk 21, stirring to thicken the sauce.

Finally, flavor with fresh thyme leaves 22. Blanch the fresh pasta discs 23 and then drain them with a slotted spoon 24

let them cool slightly on a tray 25. Take 4 cocottes with a diameter of 3.5 inches and about 1.5 inches high, oil the inside 26 and then place the discs and make them stick to the edges 27,

fill them with the artichoke, cherry tomato, and shrimp filling, pour the béchamel sauce over it (28-29), and bake for 20 minutes at 392°F. Once cooked, take the fresh pasta baskets with artichokes, shrimp, and confit cherry tomatoes out of the oven 30, let them cool slightly, gently remove them and transfer them to a serving dish.

Storage

It is recommended to consume the fresh pasta baskets with artichokes, shrimp, and confit cherry tomatoes immediately. You can freeze the fresh pasta uncooked, already portioned. To prevent the discs from sticking together, place them on a tray and let them set for a couple of hours in the freezer, then, once hardened, transfer them to a freezer bag. Cook the discs directly from frozen.

Tip

The possible variations are countless: egg pasta instead of semolina, monkfish instead of shrimp, and zucchini instead of artichokes. Let yourself be guided by imagination, taste, and especially by seasonal ingredients to create your version of this refined recipe!

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.