A little clean-out-the-freezer time…

We have had a half-bag of artichokes in the freezer since forever – maybe longer. It was time to use them up – so I could fit all of the other stuff we have in there a bit more neatly.

That poor freezer…

We do tend to use our appliances. If I had the money, I would have a commercial kitchen in our home – complete with Wolf range, stainless steel counters, quarry tile floor, and a sloped drain in the middle of it to hose everything down.

My next lifetime…

This lifetime is just hoping nothing breaks – hence, the regular clean-out. It also helps to know what is actually in there, once in a while. It’s organised, with like items together in their baskets – Nonna has the top basket with the foods that only she eats. Next is meats – beef, pork, lamb, sausages, etc. Then chicken and seafood. The bottom basket is frozen vegetables and odds and ends of things that really don’t fit elsewhere. It usually stays pretty organised for a couple of weeks – and then I go out and buy something in bulk – or a couple of somethings in bulk – and it throws everything off until the next clean-out. At least I get a couple of weeks out of it!

Dinner, tonight, started with a couple of hot Italian sausages with peppers and onions and the aforementioned artichokes. I saw or read somewhere about how to make sausage easier to handle when you take it out of its casing – you mix a bit of wine with it and it separates and crumbles really easily. And, it works!

I started off with a bit on onion, and then added the perfectly-crumbled sausage and let it brown a bit. Next went some fresh peas that also needed using, and then the artichokes. Into the pot went more white wine, garlic, and some oregano, salt & pepper.

I added the cooked orecchiette – 2 ounces per person – and mixed in some grated pecorino romano.

A simple dinner full of flavor.

The freezer still has plenty of things in there, so it’s just a matter of seeing what our moods will conjure up next!