Day 1 Part II: 5/25/09

Giambotta: “a cousin of French ratatouille.” I should have known, from the description, that it wouldn’t turn out exactly as I wanted, even if it turned out perfectly, because I simply don’t like ratatouille. (If you’re following along in your texts, we’re on page 263 of what I believe to be the original Moosewood cookbook.) I should say that I love all the vegetables called for in Giambotta, except for fennel, which I have never identified as likeable or unlikeable, and left out anyway due to cost ($3.50!). Perhaps it would have made all the difference, but when something is listed as optional, I take it at face value. I am actually eating the last bits of my stew lunch as I type and coming across some delightful flavors at the bottom of the bowl, so I’m hopeful that tomorrow’s serving will be delicious, after a night’s savory mingling in the refrigerator. Unfortunately, I assumed there would be pepper in the house when I went shopping, so when I came home with just sea salt, and discovered an empty pepper shaker, I had a feeling we were doomed. Without the pepper, I salted it more heavily than it would have needed had I had pepper, and continued to do so as I ate my serving this afternoon… Why did I buy salt and not pepper? I figured I use more salt than pepper anyway (I’d better not mooch too much), and besides, pepper was expensive, more so than my one shaker of sea salt… (which “does not supply iodide, a necessary nutrient” so if you’re trying to find me in Missoula, I’ll be the girl with the goiter). From the top of my bowl, I ate almost every bite with a bite of wheat bread and a dash of salt, added to each bite as I scooped it up onto the bread (local Montana bread). The cookbook suggested Italian artisan bread to go with the stew, and I admit, it would have been tastier, but since it’s only me eating loaves of bread that I buy, and I needed bread for PB&J lunches, it had to be sliced wheat. What should I try next? A brief peruse suggests egg salad. I was first drawn to the spinach artichoke dip description, and thought, now there’s something I already know I like, and I’ll just buy crusty bread or crackers to go with as a lunch-time side-dish (who am I kidding? I’d be likely to sit down after a long day with a piece of bread and a spoon and just go to town). However, for those who aren’t familiar, the Moosewood cookbook is in fact a low-fat cookbook, so guess what’s missing from the familiar spinach artichoke dip? Cheese. Unless swimming in chewy white cheese with that yellow glaze of fat on top, spinach and artichoke are only depressing. So we’ll try egg salad (I checked, it’s low-fat because they’re leaving out some yolks, nothing essential).
Oooh, all this cheese talk gives me an idea. Wouldn’t this Giambotta be delicious in a crock with a piece of sourdough and a hunk of gruyere baked on top?