Artichokes and Avocados

My absolute two favorite foods in the world, hands down, are artichokes and avocados. Is it coincidence that they both start with an A? Do I like them especially because of the alliteration? Is green my favorite color? Maybe I like the easiness as the words sashay out of my mouth when confronted with the age old question, "what is your favorite food?" Mostly, I get interested puzzlement out of my conversation colleague. How can a vegetable be your favorite food? Much less, two vegetables? (actually avocado is a fruit, I rebut). Do you not love cheese? (well, yes).

The truth of the matter is that I am one for texture. I love those mini bites of meaty tenderness at the end of the otherwise brawny artichoke leaf. So dainty. So sinful dipped in mayonnaise. The back of my tongue starts to salivate in anticipation of the heart, the perfect dessert for a perfect food. Another gluttonous indulgence; devouring an entire avocado for lunch, drizzling the slices with Worcestershire and a sprinkling of salt, feeling the smoothness of the spoonful sized slivers as they melt in my mouth. How many grams of fat in avocado? It's healthy fat, right?

I was irritatingly bewildered by the fresh produce when we moved to South Carolina. I don't know how fresh you can call it when it was most likely picked a week ago, needless to say, it was seriously lacking. Coming from the abundance of the Northwest, it's a bit of a culture shock to see so many produce items imported from Chile. I grew up with an unwritten set of standards that has somehow been permanently ingrained in my being; recycle, buy local, always keep an umbrella in your car. Living in the south has its drawbacks. There isn't much "buying local." Citrus and strawberries proudly carry "Grown in Florida" stamps. But alas, my beloved artichoke has to make the fatiguing trip all the way from California. My Hass avocado is hit or miss. Don't count on throwing a Mexican fiesta and serving guacamole. I'm sure every Publix in the area gets its delivery on the same day, so if you happen to go to the store on delivery day and find your avocado rock hard and green, chances are every Publix in the area will have the same inventory. You may have to put off that fiesta until next week if you really want to serve guacamole. On the plus side, the locally grown "Florida avocado" is usually always ripe and ready to go. It has a slightly sweeter flavor and firmer flesh than your Hass version, but just as tasty. And they are a bargain, double the size of a Hass - up to 14 inches - for the same price.

I surprised Dave last night with artichokes. If you can't tell by now, I love to cook. Dave, as it seems, loves to eat. That's part of the reason we make such a great pair. I cook almost every night. The majority of the time, I would rather cook than go out to eat. It's my daily pleasure to ponder what I will make for the evening. Last night I whipped up an easy concoction that I discovered on a whim years ago. I scribbled the ingredients in my cooking notebook to remember for next time. The photo below shows how I really cook, I kinda just throw things together until they taste right. I decided to measure what I put in the sauce, a daunting task. But I wanted some measurements, because in fact, that's what makes a "recipe." If you feel you need a little more of something, don't be afraid. I love this one because of the burst of flavor, the citrus, the spicy ginger, topped with a creamy crumbly cheese to balance the citrus flavor. We added canned lump crab, which does not even come close to comparison with fresh Dungeness crab caught off the shore of our beach place in Washington. If you want some protein though, it does the job.

Penne with Creamy Ginger Citrus

Serves 2

1/4 cup salted butter
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
3 green onion stalks, chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup half and half
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 lb penne rigate pasta
1 can lump crab meat
crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese

Heat salted water in a large pot on stove. When water boils, add penne and cook for the amount of time listed on the box. Usually about 6 minutes. Drain water and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt butter in large saute pan over medium heat. Add yellow onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add ginger, garlic and green onion. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add flour and stir well. Add lemon juice, half and half and chicken broth. Stir well and simmer until sauce begins to thicken.

Add penne to sauce and stir until combined and noodles warm. Dish penne on a plate and top with crab and cheese.