Cooking At The Nut, So Far...

Well....I have been do a bit of "home cooking" here at The Nut, but not as much as Johnny would like, so I had best put on my apron and get it together!

Here's a few things I have whipped together, with more to come, no doubt.

But first, here is a photo of the studio turned dining room, because we really wanted to have our housemates and pals here for a sit down meal before Johnny started painting, and the studio becomes his domain:

Just enough space for 6.
Then the IKEA table turns back into a workspace.

I didn't take any pictures from that very lovely evening...but it was a good meal and a very good time.

I did roast up some beautiful 'Romanesco" (kind of like cauliflower), and paired it with spaghetti. The sauce was a red pepper and sundried tomato pesto. Very yum.

One night, I came up with a kooky combo. 

I had bought some long stemmed purple artichokes, and I didn't want to waste any of the stems. I sliced them in rounds, then parboiled them with red onions and fennel, all cut about the same size:

Then, I layered them in a shallow casserole dish with fontina cheese, then topped it with breadcrumbs and parmesan...

I baked it until it got a browned top, and that was it. Next time, way more fontina, I think. I wanted it more cheesy. It was a tasty combination, though, and a great use of the veggies.

As always, I love to roast the small and sweet tomatoes we find here. They come from the sunny south lands and are so good. 

I use evoo, salt and a little pepper and herbs...thyme, sage and oregano here. Also some red onion bits and garlic...

While they roasted, I steamed the afore mentioned purple artichokes, now without their stems. This was on another day. A rainy day. Good for staying home and playing in the kitchen.

Italians would never steam artichokes. This is a California thang.
I always put a couple of cloves of garlic and some bay leaves in the water.
Another big "no-no" to Italians!

I save the now soft and buttery garlic cloves.
They are great to mash into mayonnaise.
Oops. Another "no-no"!

I have recently learned of the heath benefits of "Artichoke Water". I gotta say, it is pretty darn tasty after those chokes are done. We sipped it at room temp. I'm not kidding...look it up!

A bowl of artichoke water. Mmmmmm.

Ok, roasting is done, artichokes, done.

 

We enjoyed these two together, along with some buratta cheese. It was an excellent dinner.

A couple of nice lunches from a week or two ago....Avocado toast with crunchies and a little pecorino cheese...

Johnny opted out on the bread, and went with added tomatoes.
I loved my toast! and...cilantro from the terrace!

Another day we had roasted peppers and onions on arugula with another shared buratta. The buratta was on sale, so I bought a couple of them.

Nice together.

I bought some shelling peas...which I don't know what I'm using them for yet...But I think it will be risotto.

What will you be???

I also made a pot of vegetable broth from all the bits of veggies I save in the freezer...you know, the pieces that would normally go in the compost. I wash and save it all. Great for broth.

What will YOU be?

More food adventures to come! Stay tuned...