Tuesday, December 16, 2008

save the cheese!

I'm reading my Time Magazine poolside yesterday (my way of giving the 6-degree outdoor temperature the finger) and come across some very important international news: The Italian government is putting up $66 million to bailout, get this, CHEESE. Apparently Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan for you culinary heathens) has been sold at a loss for the past 4 years. So the government is going to buy up 100,000 wheels of cheese and donate it to charity (me! me! pick me!). Interesting, that the U.S. has to bailout banks and autos and Italy has to bailout cheese. I fully expect Germany to announce a chocolate bailout next week (vee vill haf oh-duh!).

On the glorious subject of cheese, I totally forgot to mention that on Saturday evening Joel made dinner (a glorious bi-annual tradition). I told him not to spend more than $40 on ingredients and when he returned (after an hour, 5 phone calls, and only two bags of groceries - a trip that I could have completed in 15 minutes), he showed me his $41 receipt - half of which was spent on cheese. And, lest you think we have a refrigerator full of cheese, it was just over half a pound. But great Odin's beard, it was money well spent. He bought a sliver of Roquefort cheese - 3.5 oz - for $10. You could actually see the fuzz in the pockets of mold. I thought all cheese in the U.S. was pasteurized, but the ingredients listed "unpasteurized goat's milk" as one, and it was imported from France? I'm not going to ask questions. It, along with the pears and avocado on my salad, was divine. We had some leftovers on Sunday and I didn't want to share with the kids, but Joel said that we had to (boo!) because our kids should have the exposure. Donovan was a fan. Ainsleigh thought it was ok, but she was distracted by the shrimp cocktail and was going to town on that. Joel had also purchased a wedge of Pecorino Romano (maybe 6 oz?) for another $12 and grated some of it into the potatoes he was making. Seriously, I keep going back and shaving off pieces of it to eat. But I'm trying to do it without Donovan seeing because he wants to get on that train. That's why I like taking him to the grocery store - they have this new cheese counter and we go through and try it all. They have some bright orange cheese with blue (mold) marbling that he really digs. I wish I could remember what it's called. If you can find it, get some Fromager d'Affinois - it's like a good brie, except that it's made from cow's milk and it oozes straight out of the refrigerator - mmmmmm.

Anyway, my point is that we should all support this bailout. Do yourself a favor - go buy some good cheese today. And then eat it slathered on crusty bread (if you come over, you can have some of my freshly baked artisan bread!). Who needs banks and cars when there's cheese out there to be saved?!

4 comments:

Christina said...

I am actually salivating... mmmmm

wanda said...

Tonight at dinner I had one of those bag salads with dried cherries, almonds, bleu cheese and dressing that I had put together. As David was putting his plate away, I asked if he had had salad. He said yes, and there was something in there that was the most disgusting thing he had ever eaten! When I told him it was bleu cheese and that Ains & Dono like it he said it was more like "poo" cheese. Ah, the unrefined! Keep up the good work in exposing your kids early!

Nataluscious said...

Oh I am SO on board with your Ode to Cheese. If I had only one food to eat the rest of my life it would be cheese. For true happiness, cheese and bread. I would want for nothing. I get the cheese plate any place I can - its my favorite dessert in nice restaurants. And now our King Soopers up here remodeled with the most AMAZING cheese counter I've seen in a non-gourmet store and grocery shopping has suddenly turned into a decadent experience.

Dawnette and Mark Coltrin said...

Sarah! Mark would LOVE this blog. If I would permit him… Mark would live off of Cheese. It seems like every two weeks we go grocery shopping… Mark seems to randomly sneak cheese I never heard of into the cart. Cheese that I wouldn’t even to know what to do with… Does this go on bread??? In soup??? On meat???? Well, Mark did serve his mission in France… so I guess that is where his love of cheese comes from! Mark and I are behind this bailout!!! But Mark really loves Cars too… so he might want to save them also….