To those of you who follow this blog regularly, I offer my apologies for falling off the map for a couple of weeks. My family and I have been in the midst of a grand celebration – my mother’s 90th Birthday. As much as I thought I might report on the festivities and the many terrific meals we had, I didn’t; I couldn’t, I was too caught up in the beautiful moments of my mom’s great pleasure at having her family around her. A good thing to be caught up in, I think.
My husband Michael and I were ready for a bit lighter fare after it was all over, so for one of our first meals upon our return home I decided on a simple dinner of sole with mashed potatoes and green beans … but you know me, I had to get creative, so I incorporated a different cheese (which I had on hand) into each item’s preparation.
Cheese #1: I added a nice pad of butter, a touch of cream and a couple of ounces of grated blue cheese to the mashed potatoes.
Cheese #2: I pan-fried the green beans in olive oil and garlic, with a dash of seasoning salt and pepper, then added a couple of tablespoons of water to the pan, covered and cooked on low heat until the beans were just tender. On plating, I grated fresh Romano cheese on top.
Cheese #3: I dusted the sole filets with grated Parmesan cheese (from the jar because it’s dry and hard), a sprinkle of garlic powder, salt and pepper, then pan fried in a teaspoon of butter melted with a teaspoon (or so) of olive oil.
The slight saltiness and special flavors of each of the cheeses really heightened the deliciousness factor.
Sometimes it is the simple things that make something special … cheese in potatoes … fish fried in cheese … my mom’s teary smile as we sang Happy Birthday to her. Life is good.
Eat well. Be happy
Plynn Gutman 