Below, you will find the recipe for the Black Olive and Artichoke Cavetelli that I prepared for my friends last Sunday.  Enjoy! 

If you try it, please post comments on your experiences with it.

Black Olive and Artichoke Cavatelli

Ingredients:

• 1 cup hot soprasatta, small dice (it's important to keep the pieces small and even)
• ¼ cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
• One 2oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts
• 1 medium onion, small dice
• 4 cloves  garlic, minced
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• *1 lb package of fresh cavatelli (the dish works much better with fresh pasta)
• Salt/pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme leaves (be sure to pick them from the stems)
• ½ teaspoon chopped oregano
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup white wine

*If you can't find cavatelli, then fusilli works equally well

Directions:

• Fill a large stock pot with water, salt aggressively (as Mario Batalli says … "Like the sea") and bring to a boil; when boiling, add pasta and cook at rapid boil for about 7 minutes (until al dente/ soft)
• Heat a large sauce pan (with straight sides) until it begins to get hot, then add olive oil
• When the olive oil begins to shimmer and ribbon in the pan (not smoke), add onions, sausage, salt and ground pepper and begin to sauté
• When the onions begin to turn clear and the sausage begins to render fat, add the garlic and mushrooms, cook for about two minutes – stir regularly
• Add thyme, oregano and white wine and reduce to a thick liquid
• When the liquid becomes viscous, add the olives, artichoke hearts (and their liquid), cherry tomatoes, cook for another two minutes – stir regularly
• Add drained pasta to the dish and toss, turn off heat, allow to stand in the pan for a few moments before serving.

*If you find that there is not enough liquid in the bottom of the pan, you can add a little of the pasta water to adjust the consistency.