Sunday, February 04, 2007

Rearranging the food storage shelves in the basement

That's how I spent some of my time this morning. When I went gluten free, I didn't do a very good job of making room for the GF flour purchases I made. A lot of it was sitting in boxes on the floor (not smart in a leaky basement - I got lucky that none of it got wet).

I was rooting through the various items on the shelves and realized that I have some stuff down there that I had completely forgotten about, stuff I bought to try because I had never had it.

I have a ton of regular pasta downstairs that I have no idea why I am hanging onto it. Two bags of wheat flour. Am I waiting for a miracle? Probably not. The only thing I can think of for holding onto this stuff is for when my family comes down to visit. I wouldn't cook any of it for a different reason, especially after what I went through de-glutening the kitchen.

Oh - and if anyone needs xanthan gum, let me know via email at sheri AT justnotdinner DOT com. I have five bags of Bob's Red Mill down there that there's no way I will use by their expiration date.

Back to the purchased-and-yet-untried. Artichoke hearts. The Man isn't home. Here comes dinner!





Pasta with Artichoke Hearts, Tomato, Mushroom & Basil

1/2 package Tinkyada spaghetti
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and cut into quarters
4 oz button mushrooms, sliced
1 tomato, chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
Sea salt

Prepare the pasta according to package directions. In a skillet melt the butter and olive oil together on medium-low heat. Add the artichoke hearts and mushroom (spinkle with a little salt); saute until mushrooms begin to soften (about 5 minutes). Drain the pasta, reserving a half cup of pasta water; add the reserved pasta water to the skillet with the vegetables. Toss together with the pasta. Right before serving, toss in the tomato and basil.

Not a bad introduction to the canned artichoke.



On another note, I have a really dumb question. I do not have a very large....well, chest. I want to know how it's possible that it becomes a shelf to catch what falls out of the hole in my chin? I didn't think I was a very sloppy eater, but whenver I eat pasta of any shape, I end up with noodles on my shirt!

2 comments:

Lynn Barry said...

This dish looks yummy. I always spill on my built in body shelf, if you know what I mean...always having to spray before laundering.
I am afraid to go in my basement...good for you for cleaning out, or at least trying to.

Mike Eberhart said...

Sounds like you had fun cleaning. Maybe you can donate the pasta/flour to a food-shelter or church in the area.

The pasta sounds great - I love artichokes and all the other ingredients you used! Wonderful. And, thankfully all those tasty veggies are naturally GF.