Baby Artichokes - Baby, baby!

Baby artichokes equal WOW! I've never really cooked with artichokes because they are quite frankly confusing. However, I had no such problems with baby artichokes. I made up a quick and easy pasta recipe with this little guys. Honestly, I think these suckers may be one of my favorites now. If you get the chance to by some baby artichokes at a Farmers Market, definitely give this recipe a try:

Baby Artichokes Parmesan with Marinara & Pasta

2 servings

Ingredients

10 baby artichokes, trimmed

3 cloves of garlic, smashed

1 tsp Italian seasoning

3 tbsp grape seed or olive oil

1 cup water

3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tsp dry basil

1/2 a can/bottle of marinara sauce

1/2 a package of your favorite pasta (I used whole wheat fettuccine, James used cappellini)

Directions

Start a pot of bowling water for your pasta (as directed by package) and heat the marinara on low in a small sauce pan (cook while these while you make your artichokes).

Trim the baby artichokes (click here for a step by step lesson) and rise with cold water.

Heat 1 tbsp grape seed or olive oil, crushed garlic and Italian seasoning in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until garlic is soft. Add baby artichokes to the pan, sauté for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of water to the pan and cover for 10-15 minutes (or until the bottom of the artichoke can be punctured by a fork). Strain artichokes and garlic and place in a bowl.

Mix Italian bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and basil in a low bowl. Coat baby artichokes with bread crumbs (feel free to smash some of the bread crumbs in between the leaves) and fry in 2 tbsp grape seed or olive oil in the medium sauce pan over medium heat.

Fry for 6-8 minutes or until the artichokes are crispy brown. Throw the garlic into the marinara sauce.

In your bowls place half the pasta, marinara sauce, and 5 baby artichokes on top (feel free to throw in any left over bread crumb crispies from the frying pan). Sprinkle with the left over parmesan cheese and ENJOY!

Rutabaga - Veggie Polenta Pot Pie

So, yesterday was my first experience with rutabaga, and it was quite good! This cross between a cabbage and a turnip tastes great raw, and just as good in the Veggie Polenta Pot Pie I made with it. If you have time on your hands (I mean a couple hours) and a love for veggies, this is a great recipe. It is a healthy alternative to chicken pot pie and a great way to use your rutabaga:

Veggie Polenta Pot Pie - Heavy on the Rutabaga!

Filling

• 2 large carrots, cubed

• 3 smaller potatoes, cubed (I used fingerlings)
• 1 huge rutabagas peeled and cubed
• 1 large onion, chopped into small pieces
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or grape seed oil (mixed the two)
• 1 tablespoon dried herbs de Provence
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed

• 1 cup canned vegetable broth or chicken both
• 1 cup dry red wine (I used some 2-Buck-Chuck Merlot)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Polenta

• 3 cups water (or broth if you have some)
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan cheese (omit if you are vegan)

For filling:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut carrots, potatoes, rutabagas, garlic and onions into 1/2-inch pieces and toss in a bowl with oil and herbes de Provence to coat. Roast until vegetables are tender, stirring halfway through, about 40 minutes. Transfer vegetables to 8-inch square glass baking dish or cast iron pan. Stir in peas. Season vegetables to taste with salt and pepper.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Mix 1 cup vegetable broth and 3/4 cup dry red wine in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to simmer. Stir remaining 1/4 cup red wine and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth. Add to broth mixture and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes (can be done while veggies are roasting to save time). Pour sauce over roasted vegetables.

For polenta:
Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually stir in cornmeal and salt. Cook until polenta thickens and pulls away from sides of pan, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes (this also can be done while the veggies are roasting). Pour warm polenta over vegetable mixture. Using spatula, smooth top, covering vegetables completely. Sprinkle polenta with parmesan cheese.

Bake pot pie until polenta is firm to touch and vegetable mixture is heated through, about 20 minutes. Preheat broiler. Broil pot pie until polenta is golden, about 4 minutes.

Spoon pot pie onto plate; serve hot, and ENJOY!

Turnips - Who Knew? continued

The Arabic Pickled Turnips 24 hours later. Such a great color!

Maybe we should grow food in the shape of chicken nuggets...

If you haven't seen this show yet, you should definitely give it a try (it is currently on Hulu). Thanks Steven for the video!

Turnips - Who Knew?

Hey everyone!

Did you know that those pink pickles you get at Mediterranean restaurants are actually turnips? Well, I freaking love those things so I decided to give my try at Arabic Pickled Turnips. In ten days, I will tell you how they turned out. If its good, we will now know what to do with turnips!

If anyone wants to experiment with me, here is the recipe (from ABC.com):

Arabic Pickled Turnips
makes 1 pint

Ingredients
1 large beet
4 small turnips (or 3 medium-size turnips), quartered
1 beet quarter, cooked
2 to 3 slivers garlic clove
2 to 3 sprigs young celery leaves
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. coarse salt


Preparation
Boil 1 beet in water until tender; peel, cool, quarter and set aside. Drop quartered turnips into boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove turnips and peel them. They will have a silky texture. Place in hot sterilized 1-pint wide-mouth jar, packing between each turnip: 1 cooked beet quarter, 2 to 3 slivers of garlic clove, and 2 to 3 sprigs young celery leaves. Combine and bring to boil water, vinegar, and salt. Fill jar with vinegar mixture, seal and store in warm place 10 days, then ENJOY!

BTW - Plain boiled turnips are a delicious snack! Who knew?

Goodies this week from the Hollywood Farmers Market

One great thing about living in LA are the Farmers Markets! As Angelinos, we have unheard-of access to fresh produce. However, if you are a newbie to local produce like me, then most of it looks like veggies that may turn into that monster from "Little Shop of Horrors."

In an effort to expand my taste buds, I will be the guinea pig who tries those little monsters. I am committed to pick out a few things each week from the Hollywood Farmers Market. I have to figure out what to do with them. No matter how unusual to me, I must find a recipe and eat it (and so will my husband, possibly my dogs). If successful, I will share it with you.

If you have a good recipe, please feel free to share!

Ok, so this week is a full line-up of treasures (found at the Hollywood Farmers Market):

- Rutabaga

- Turnips

- Fennel

- Baby Artichokes

Let us see what happens....