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A Spoonful Of Cheese Helps The Greens Go Down
May 23, 2012
We recently had a couple over for dinner for the first time. As is customary, we asked about any food dislikes or allergies. No allergies, was the reply, but the husband eats only meat and potatoes – literally. No salad, no vegetables and don’t play funny with the potatoes either please. Wow, I thought, how did this guy make it to nearly 50 with such a limited diet?
As someone who has generally stuck to a ‘see-food’ diet (see food and eat it) I mostly felt sorry for the committed carnivore and the pleasures he is missing. What if he had to go on a diet? Would he cut out the meat or the potatoes? Neither prospect seems appealing or healthy.
I am actually on a new diet these days, trying to repair my aching back by getting rid of some of my expansive front. I’m not really following a plan, just trying to make healthier decisions. That means not eating until my body really demands it, eating more fruits and vegetables and not heading straight for the bread box when hunger rears its greedy head.
It’s a great time of year to start such a diet, because the first crops of local foods are rolling in, including green vegetables like spinach, asparagus, leeks, lettuce, herbs and peas. Of course, in our modern world we can get all these things year-round, but there is nothing that compares to fresh-picked.
One thing all of these foodstuffs have in common is that they pair beautifully with cheese. So here are a few recipes from the treasure trove of more than 350 at trestelle.ca. Mr. Meat & Potatoes won’t be coming by to sample my green efforts, but I know lots of others who will be pleased to take his seat at the table:
Sole and Spinach with Romano Béchamel: Fresh spinach wilted and cooked with butter and garlic and topped with pan-fried fillets of sole, with the whole drizzled in a creamy Romano sauce.
Provolone Panini with Asparagus: Simple and simply delicious, especially with fresh young stalks.
Spring Pea Soup with Parmesan Custards: The delicious flavour of spring peas is elevated by the Parmesan custards which are actually quite easy to make, but will make your guests think you’ve been away at cooking school.
This entry was posted in Cheese and tagged asparagus, Cheese, Panini, Parmesan, peas, Provolone, recipe, Romano, spinach, Tre Stelle. Bookmark the permalink. ← Victoria Day Weekend: The Sweet Start of Summer Game On: It’s Hockey Playoff Party Time →