Foraging for Foodstuffs

There comes a time when one gets so hungry, one has to forage for foodstuffs. My current status as a human leaves me a little "cash poor" at the moment. You know how it is, folks.

So, when my dad gave me (along with the usual tomahawk beef chops that one usually buys at a wholesale restaurant supply company) a whole wheel of Piave Vecchio cheese that was purchased from a fabulous place in South Seattle called Corfini Gourmet I simply was delighted to incorporate it into my daily bread.

The message is clear here, internet. I am almost done eating this wheel of cheese…

and I must acquire another.

Before I go through my possible choices, might I enlighten you on the savories dishes this wheel has provided for me?

1. Finely grated on my handy rasp, this cheese has afforded many alpine like snow clouds of cheese atop pastas, roasted veggies, risottos, soups, and salads that, without the addition of my fine cheese, would not be as desirable to eat and thus would depress the entire day.
2. Jagged shards of said cheese are a FINE snack to have, and can enter ones mouth when needed.
3. Though not the best melting cheese out there, I did have a most delicious Tartine, courtesy of shaved Piave, some fine dijon mustard, a sprig of thyme, and a high quality baguette; broiled to bubbly perfection. Though I chose to broil the son of a gun, I could have just as easily had the shaving raw….but thats history now.
4. Rind: oh how you are underused in many a kitchen. You add a superb cheesy flavor and depth to any soup, stew or stock. You simmer away often, (separately) with your undervalued comrades; the bay leaf, the shrimp body, the parsnip, the herb sachet (sachet d'Epices) sa-SHAY DAY-pees. Thank you for all of your hard work, rind.

5. A fine guest to have on one's cheese platter, though, I never did use on a cheese platter bc, as you know, this is my only cheese. Plus I am selfish with my cheese. AND I wanted to make this a list of 5 things.

Onward…

Nelle's Cheeses She Would Like To Try In The VERY Near Future:

(for the sake of linkage, I shall choose all my cheeses from Murray's, as I believe their online selection to be superior availability wise)

• Sartori Stravecchio, Cow's Milk/Wisconsin. Looks extremely lush and user friendly. Plus its local and in Ben's town!! Go Badger Alumni!
• Vella Dry Jack, Cow's Milk/California. This is a producer that has been around for ages and is famous for their style of Jack Cheese. They came to produce this style of cheese out of the need to appeal to the Italian immigrant population in cali.
• Sally Jackson, Goat's Milk/Washington. This is a cheese not featured on Murray's, but on a new favorite site called Gourmet Library and is in high demand all of the the time! She is a famous local (well, her farm is about 250 miles away from me but hell, what isn't?) farmstead producer who has helped pioneer the artisanal cheese movement along with other greats such as; Laura Chenel goat cheese and Capriole Farms in Indiana. I love Goat Cheese!!
• Jura Erguel, Cow's Milk/Switzerland. UM…cousin of gruyere? tongue tickle prickle that of pineapple? Sign me up please.
• Mimolette, Cow's Milk/France. Ok, This looks like candy corn, and thus I want to eat a bag, I mean a slice of this cheese. Plus, it's the holidays and you have GOT to have a festive wheel hanging around! It could work for October as well, for obvious reasons. Mimolette-o-lantern?
• Pecorino Oro Antico, Sheep's Milk/Italy. This is one of my favorite types of cheeses because it is a star of Tuscany, which I love! Think for a moment about a wheel of cheese….brushed with olive oil (the finest oils of all come from tuscany!)…and then purchase it for me. Thanks.

Well, so what do you think? Do you want some cheese? I know I do.

Internet, I leave you with the wise words of a person who knows:

NEVER LET YOUR CHEESE SUPPLY DWINDLE

or you'll pay. in spades. by eating non cheesed items. thus a depressive culinary cloud hovers.

Go away cloud.

xxox Nellebee