January 1, 2007.
I live in Los Angeles, in Studio City, to be exact, with my new little family. We don't have much money by this city's standards, but we are far from destitute. I have been lucky enough to stay at home with our new baby girl for the last 5 1/2 months without having to sacrifice very much of our material needs. There are always wants. This year has been a lesson in discerning need from want.
Here is my intent for this online record; to record my year long experiment to buy and eat locally produced fruits and veggies, meats, cheeses and all other foodstuffs. The challenge? I am incredibly lazy, and while I write this, I have eaten a handfull or two of peanut M&M's and I'm contemplating getting an ice cold diet Coke from the fridge. And those are just my challenges. My husband of two years eats no fruits or vegetables whatsoever. It is a shorter list to tell you what he does eat than what he doesn't. Exceptions are basil pesto, light on the basil, heavy on the pignoli and garlic, and an annual go at canteloup when they are in season. Ah, yes, and we keep a strictly kosher kitchen.
I love food, and I love to cook. It seems obvious to say that the food is better, made with fresh, quality ingredients. But my motives are also political. I want to support small, family owned farms. They look like a dying breed in most parts of the country, but I believe they're the wave of the future of American food. If we expect to get any nutrition out of our food, and keep the land we grow our food on alive, they'll have to be.
That said, it's artichoke season. Eight for one American dollar. One dollar!
Here's what I made for today's clothing swap, hosted by my friend, LG.
Stuffed Artichokes
Trim and clean artichokes. Medium to small size works best as an appetizer.
Cut top half off, then cut down the middle.
Strip outer layer of leaves off, virtually down to heart.
Place in pan of acidulated water (water w/ juice of 1-2 lemons)
Bring artichokes to a boil, turning down to a simmer until a paring knife goes through them.
Drain and Cool. Set aside.
Stuffing: for 8 artichokes.
1 Cup fine, white bread crumbs
Salt and pepper.
Saute 2-3 cloves garlic in 1/4 cup of butter, adding breadcrumbs.
Stir until coated.
Clean choke out of cooled artichokes with a spoon.
Place cut side up in a baking pan.
Mound a table spoon or more of breadcrumb mixture on top of artichokes.
Sprinkle remaining mixture over the rest of the stem.
Bake in 375 oven for approx. 15 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden,
Serve hot or room temperature with melted butter and lemon juice poured over before serving.
Pretty dang yummy. They went over well.
