My co-worker H gave me the baby purple artichokes photographed above. I certainly didn't mind taking these babies off her hands, since I love artichokes and anything that comes mini/baby-sized. Baby anything is just plain cute. On B's way home, he called checking to see if I needed anything from the grocery store. This particular night, a pasta dish incorporating the artichokes sounded good, so I asked him to pick up pasta. It was already late by the time he called, so I got to work, chopping and boiling the water so eating could happen ASAP. I estimated about 20 minutes from the time of the phone call to B's time of arrival. I chopped up garlic, onions, red bell pepper, carrots, zucchini and halved/quartered the artichokes. I sauted them in some grapeseed oil. I salted the boiling water and played the waiting game as the veggies softened and browned. Once B got home. I started unloading the groceries… water, beer, Doritos, Morningstar patties… hmm no pasta. Must be in another bag still in the trunk, right? "Babe, where's the pasta?" I asked. Sheepish look and an "oops" tells it all. No time for apologies now. I go into Iron Chef Mode and start throwing open cupboard doors. I needed a carb and I needed it quick. The water was at a rapid boil and the veggie ragout was threatening to turn into mush. What to do? Brown rice… no, that would take too long… mung bean noodles… quick cooking, but that would just be weird…. aha… polenta. I eyed the polenta on the top shelf. I always keep it in stock for occasions like this. I hopped up on my step stool (yes, I'm short) and grabbed the jar of cornmeal. I measured out about a cup and added some milk and Parmesan for creaminess. Whew, close call. Thanks for keeping me on my toes, B!
Hi Kat! Thanks for stopping by. Polenta is super easy to make. If you can make oatmeal, you can handle polenta. Plus, you can always add yummy cheeses to flavor it up.
3 Comments
airmouse
06 Aug 2007 07:08 pm
[this is good] Beautiful picture!
kat
28 Sep 2007 12:09 pm
i’ve never looked at baby artichokes because i’ve always assumed that they would be tough. i’m guessing not?
how tough is polenta to make? i’d like to make it at home as my dad has a wheat allergen but this i could definitely make.
julie
01 Oct 2007 10:10 pm
Hi Kat! Thanks for stopping by. Polenta is super easy to make. If you can make oatmeal, you can handle polenta. Plus, you can always add yummy cheeses to flavor it up.
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