“Jayni’s Kitchen” debuts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays on Sunflower Broadband Channel 6 with repeats throughout the week.

Penne with Artichokes

Juice of 1/2 lemon, strained

4 fresh artichokes

Olive oil

1/4 cup Italian parsley chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

Salt and black pepper

1 pound penne rigate (penne with ridges)

Half fill a large bowl with cold water and stir in the lemon juice.

Working on one artichoke at time, remove the tough outer leaves. Trim the stem, cut in half lengthwise and remove the “choke.” Thinly slice each half of the artichoke lengthwise and drop into the acidulated water to prevent browning.

Heat the olive oil over low heat in a sauté pan or skillet with a lid. Add a tablespoon of the chopped parsley and the chopped garlic. Cover and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the sliced artichokes in a strainer, add to the parsley and garlic and mix well. Cook over low heat for about 2 minutes. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with a lid so that the artichokes cook in their own steam, 5 to 10 minutes, until tender. During cooking, add more water if needed.

Cook the penne in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain well and toss with the artichokes. Serve in pasta bowls and top with more chopped parsley. Serves 4.

Variations:

• Add some chopped pancetta or a few capers when cooking the garlic.

• Add some heavy cream to the artichokes once they are tender, but cook off any excess water first. Save a cup of the water used to cook the pasta and add it to the cream so that it is smooth on the penne.

Chicken Roulades with Sage

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Fresh sage leaves

3 1/2 ounces pancetta (Italian bacon), thinly sliced

Salt and black pepper

Toothpicks

2 tablespoons olive oil

Lay one chicken breast on a cutting board. Place one hand flat on top of the breast and, using a sharp knife, cut horizontally through the center of the breast, leaving one side attached so that it opens like a book. Place between two sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap and pound lightly with the smooth side of a meat mallet. Cut the breast into two portions. Set aside while preparing the remaining breasts.

Lay 2 or 3 slices of pancetta on the cutting board. Lay a chicken fillet on top. Place two sage leaves on the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Roll up, wrapping the chicken in the pancetta. Secure with toothpicks. Repeat with the remaining chicken filets.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning frequently, until evenly browned on all sides. Cover and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, adding one tablespoon of hot water if necessary to prevent burning.

Serves 4.

Pastiera di Grano

For the grain:

1 15-ounce can cooked wheat (available from some Italian markets)

or, 200 grams (about 1 cup) soaked hulled wheat berries, preferably soft wheat

enough milk to cover the wheat in a saucepan

Zest of 1 orange

1 teaspoon sugar

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dough:

400 g flour (2 2/3 cup)

200 g sugar (1 cup)

200 g butter (1/2 cup plus 5 tablespoons)

4 egg yokes

Filling:

2 eggs plus 1 egg yoke

170 g sugar (3/4 cup)

240 g ricotta (1 cup)

1 to 3 tablespoons orange water, to taste

1/2 cup candied citron, very finely chopped

1/2 cup candied orange peel, very finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Confectioners’ sugar

If using wheat berries, place them in a large bowl, add cold water to cover and let soak overnight in the refrigerator. Drain the wheat.

Place the soaked wheat berries (or the canned cooked wheat) in a medium saucepan and cover with milk. Add the orange zest, sugar, salt and vanilla and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the wheat is tender and cracked open, 20 to 30 minutes. (Cook canned wheat for about 10 minutes, until creamy.) Pour the mixture into a large bowl to cool.

Dough: Combine the flour and sugar in a bowl. Pour the mixture into a food processor, or mixer with a dough hook (or in a bowl to mix by hand). Blend in the butter and egg yokes and let the processor or mixer knead the dough briefly (or knead by hand) just until the mixture is combined and can be shaped. Shape one-quarter of the dough into a disk. Make a second disk with the remaining dough. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Filling: In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolk with the sugar using a mixer or a wire whisk. Blend in the ricotta, orange water, candied fruit and cinnamon (optional). Add the cooked grain last and mix well.

Place the rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-by-3-inch springform pan.

Roll out the larger piece of chilled dough to a 16-inch circle. Drape the dough over the rolling pin. Using the pin to lift it, fit the dough into the pan, pressing out any wrinkles against the inside of the pan. Scrape the filling onto the dough and smooth the top.

Roll out the smaller piece of dough to a 10-inch circle. With a fluted pastry cutter, cut the dough into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Lay the strips across the filling in a lattice pattern. Press the ends of the strips against the dough on the sides of the pan. Trim the dough, leaving 1/2 inch of excess all around the rim, and fold the edge of the crust over the ends of the lattice strips. Press firmly to seal.

Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a baking rack 15 minutes. Remove the pan ring and let the cake cool completely on the rack. Just before serving, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Cover and store in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Serves 12.

— Recipes by Christopher Renner.