Cooking to Match Your Nail Polish?

I've lost track of how many magazines I subscribe to- mostly food magazines because I like to cook.  In my latest copy of Bon Appetit- I found an advertisement for O P I.- a popular nail polish.  Think about it-  if you were advertising in a food magazine for nail polish- how would you go about the connection between food and fingernails?  Here is what OPI did- They took 2 of their colors from their VENICE collection and published an Italian recipe for each color:  They titled the page Salute! to color and cuisine.  Here are their 2 nail colors/corresponding recipes:  

OPI nail color:  "Be There in a Prosecco".  You men may be puzzled at their choice of  nail color titles but apparently a catchy name for a polish helps sell the product.  "Be there in a Prosecco" is a very pale opaque pink.  This is the recipe to wear when you are making Lemony Prosecco Floats:  (I had a recent manicure before the magazine arrived- so alas I had the wrong color on when I tested the recipe).  

Lemony Prosecco Floats

serves 6

1 pint good quality lemon sorbet

1 bottle Prosecco, chilled.   

1 pint raspberries (optional)

Place 2 small scoops of sorbet into each of six glasses.

Top with Prosecco and raspberries
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OPI nail color: "Worth a Pretty Penne".  This is a coppery color with shine.  The corresponding recipe has an Italian touch and an appropriate color .  According to OPI the recipe is best enjoyed while wearing the suggested color.  

Penne Alla Vodka

serves 6

1 pound penne pasta

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 ounces pancetta or bacon, minced

1 small yellow onion, minced

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup vodka

2/3 cup heavy cream

Salt

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Basil leaves, optional

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook penne according to package instructions.  Reserve one cup of pasta cooking water prior to draining.  

Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat olive oil over medium.  Add pancetta, cook, stirring occasionally, until rendered but not browned.  Add onion, cook until translucent, about 4 minutes.  Add tomato paste, cook, stirring frequently until  fragrant and brick red, about 5 minutes.  Deglaze pot with vodka.  

Stir cream into the tomato mixture until completely incorporated.  Add cooked penne to pot, stir to coat. Adjust sauce consistency with reserved pasta water.  Divide pasta among shallow bowls; top with cheese and basil, if using. 

Penne Alla Vodka

MORE RECIPES BY OPI VENICE COLLECTION AT bonappetit.com/events/promotions/opi-venice-collection.   Cooking can be fun after all.  

"Loving a Woman is like an Artichoke....

...  You have a bit of work before you to get to her heart".- a quote from Steve Martin is his movie The Pink Panther.  There is something alluring about artichokes.  It's one of my favorite vegetables.  

I almost never go to a grocery store without a list based on a weekly menu and I try to avoid impulse items not on the list But now and then I see something I can't resist.  

Last week I went into Vons (the only supermarket in Mammoth) with my list.  I parked in my favorite area near the movie theater, found a cart and proceeded to the opposite end (the produce section).  There I was immediately drawn to a beautiful display of artichokes.  Who doesn't love artichokes?  These beauties were slightly smaller than most but they were gorgeous in PURPLE.  They were aptly named Sangria Artichokes.  I couldn't resist their sexy come on.  

Each artichoke had its own tag. It was developed by Frieda

who has a website friedas.com/artichokes.  Frieda tells you how to steam and eat it and notes some of the color can be lost in the process. The thought of losing the color set off a red flag to me but happily it retained most of the beautiful color.  Purple or green, large or small- artichokes are showboats on the dinner table as well as in the grocery store.  

Frieda claims her artichoke leaves are meatier than other artichokes.  I did not find this to be true.  It was the only negative.  The color was so unique, it was irresistible anyway.