Wrapped in a big blanket of carbs...

We had a pasta dish on the menu for this evening and I was going back and forth trying to think about what would be a good, but quick, side to have with it. When we bought the new King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book, I stocked up on all sorts of different flours and ingredients so they would be on hand when a recipe came up that looked good. I flipped through the recipes for biscuits and noticed one that I could throw together in just minutes and bake. This recipe, Cornmeal-Maple Biscuits, uses whole yellow cornmeal and white whole wheat flour to make them whole grain. Only 7 ingredients are needed and the only liquids called for are milk and sweet pure maple syrup. Rather than rolling this dough out, it is simply dropped on a baking sheet which makes it a snap to get in the oven. Since I used a tablespoon to drop the biscuits, I did flatten them a little bit to spread out the dough. The small dollops puff into buttery biscuits with a slight crunch to them that are reminiscent of cornbread, except a bit lighter with an inviting hint of maple.

The pasta dish that I spoke about above, Pasta with Prosciutto and Peas, is a recipe I've had laying around waiting for me to have some extra prosciutto to use up. I never end up with much extra (too many ways to use it and snack on!) so we decided to get some to make this dish... and of course, it gave me the excuse to buy some extra to use later! I chopped the prosciutto and added the chunks to a hot skillet to crisp them up. In the same pan, I added some extra-virgin olive oil and then quickly cooked very thin slices of fresh garlic just until they started to turn golden - this also gave me a chance to pick up any delicious bits of prosciutto left on the bottom of the skillet. When I removed the pan from the heat, I let the oil sit for a few minutes while I was working on the above biscuits so the garlic would have a chance to infuse some additional flavor to the oil. I mixed the garlic and oil combination with the crisped prosciutto, fresh parsley, lemon juice, salt, pepper and bright tender green peas. I tossed in some hot whole wheat fusilli pasta and dinner was ready to be devoured. Before serving, I used a vegetable peeler and got some shavings of Asiago cheese off a brick we had in the refrigerator to add on each plate - besides adding eye candy, it lent a delightful nuttiness that married well with the salty tinge in the prosciutto.

Recipes
Cornmeal-Maple Biscuits
Pasta with Prosciutto and Peas