Dinner for One

Dinner for just one tonight. My cooking companion was busy tonight so I cooked for just myself. I needed to get rid of some leftover veggies from last weeks CSA since I get a new batch tomorrow. So I threw together some easy dishes with whatever I had around the kitchen. I started with some Sauteed Baby Artichokes and then a Garlic Butter Whole Wheat Pasta with I'Itoi Onions.

I have never cooked with baby artichokes before. I've always loved regular sized artichokes, boiled with some yummy garlic butter. So delicious. But BABY artichokes, what are you supposed to do with those? They're so small, you can't scrape the meat off the leaves. I found this wonderful recipe for Sauteed Baby Artichokes on The Dabble that seemed so simple. First, I had to figure out how to prep the little guys. Saveur (yes the same Saveur that brings us the great James Oseland, judge on Top Chef Masters) offers a great photo tutorial on how to trim them. I only had two baby artichokes, so it was the perfect amount for just one person. They tasted great and were packed with delicious artichoke flavor in a cute bite sized package.

Main dish tonight was a Whole Wheat Pasta with I'Itoi Onions. What are i'itoi onions? Yeah, I had no idea either. Apparently it is native to the Tohono O'odham nation and have a similar taste to shallots. They have this vibrant red/purple color. I decided to treat them just as I would shallots and sautee them with garlic and butter for a pasta. They ended up not having a very strong flavor, and to be honest, I didn't really taste them at all. Nevertheless, it's always fun to experiment with new ingredients because you sometimes may stumble upon a hidden gem.

When I was younger, one of my favorite dishes was called Brandy's Pasta. I have no idea where the name comes from or who Brandy is. I would go with my mom to get Italian from a restaurant near our house, and the owner would always make a special dish for me. Brandy's pasta was simply pasta tossed with garlic, butter, and cheese. Such a simple dish, but it was still a little girl's favorite treat. I make this dish as an emergency meal when I need a quick dinner and don't really have anything in the fridge. Unfortunately, it's not all that healthy, so I tried to compensate with the whole wheat pasta. This time, I actually used full whole wheat organic pasta from Trader Joes. I think I'm going to stick with the whole wheat blend that I used in a previous post. The pasta this time was just a little too healthy tasting. Regardless of what kind of pasta you use, this recipe is so easy and can be mixed with basically whatever you want. It's a great base to mix in and kinds of veggies or add some meat.

Sauteed Baby Artichokes

• 2 baby artichokes
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• sea salt/pepper
• grated Parmesan cheese
• juice of 1/2 a lemon

Trim the artichokes (see the Saveur link) and wash. Quarter them. Make a bowl of acidulated water: a bowl of water with the lemon juice to put the trimmed artichokes in. Drain before using.

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the artichokes, broth, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, until artichokes are tender. Remove the cover and continue to cook until any remaining liquid has evaporated. Serve with grated Parmesan.

Garlic Butter Pasta with I'Itoi Onions

• 1 box cooked pasta
• 1/2 stick butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch I'Itoi Onions, minced
• Parmesan cheese
• Salt and Pepper

Cook pasta and drain. In a large sautee pan, melt the butter and saute the garlic and onions until fragrant. Add the pasta and stir to coat. Season with salt, pepper, and cheese. That's it, you're done!