Penne Gets Crabby

DEAR SOS: Would you try to obtain the delicious penne made with crab and artichokes in a lemon sauce served at Joe Joe’s in the San Fernando Valley? Simply wonderful.

STELLA

DEAR STELLA: Owner-chef Joe Miller sent this unusual recipe. We liked it too.

JOE’S PENNE WITH CRAB AND ARTICHOKES

VEGETABLE SAUCE

1 large onion, diced

1 leek, white part only, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1/2 bulb fennel, diced

1 sprig thyme, leaves only

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

4 cups dry white wine

PASTA

1 pound penne

Salt

3 artichokes, trimmed to bottoms

Juice of 2 lemons

Pinch flour

Grated peel of 2 lemons

1 tablespoon chopped tarragon

1 pound crab meat

Pepper

1/2 cup (2 ounces) fine dry bread crumbs

VEGETABLE SAUCE

Cook onion, leek, celery, fennel, thyme, garlic and 1/4 cup butter in covered saucepan over low heat until vegetables are very soft but not browned, about 10 minutes. Add wine and bring to boil. Simmer over low heat 30 minutes. Add remaining butter and simmer until butter melts. Puree in blender in batches until emulsified and smooth. Strain.

PASTA

Cook pasta in boiling, salted water according to package directions until tender. Drain and cool on baking sheet.

Cook artichoke bottoms in water to cover with dash of lemon juice and pinch of flour until tender, about 20 minutes. Cool and cut each into quarters. Set aside.

Bring Vegetable Sauce to simmer. Add lemon juice and peel, tarragon, crab meat and artichoke bottoms.

Toss with pasta and add salt and pepper to taste. Top with bread crumbs.

6 servings. Each serving:

652 calories; 629 mg sodium; 86 mg cholesterol; 18 grams fat; 72 grams carbohydrates; 27 grams protein; 1.20 grams fiber.

* Cloisonne soy dishes from Susanne Hollis Antique Shop, South Pasadena; Japonesque plates from Tesoro, Beverly Hills.

*

Dosti’s latest book is “DEAR SOS: Dessert Recipe Requests to the Los Angeles Times.” To order, send a check for $15.95 plus $3.50 shipping and handling to SOS Desserts, Los Angeles Times, Department FS, P.O. Box 2348, Chatsworth, CA 91313-9799. Or call (800) 246-4042, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday to use Visa or MasterCard. The original “DEAR SOS” cookbook can be ordered in the same manner for the same price.

Send requests to Culinary SOS, Food Section, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053 or e-mail to:

[email protected]

Include restaurant address when requesting recipes from restaurants. We are unable to answer recipe requests by mail.