Cheesy in a Good Way

I love good cheese, and when entertaining I've often kicked off the evening with a loaded cheese board. A nutty sheep's milk cheese from Spain like Manchego or Idiazabal, a ripened Bucheron goat round with a nice gooey rind, an herby, runny, raw-milk French cheese like Brin d'Amour and then maybe a creamy Swiss Raclette to round things out. Then I fill a pound container with marinated olives, pick up some fancy crackers...but wait! I just spent $50 and I haven't even planned the main course yet!!

A cheese board is certainly one way to say look how much I (spent on) love you and look how much (more than you) I know about food, but there are cheaper ways to do this!

These sophisticated Manchego Crisps are melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and look much harder to make than they are. Best of all, you'll have enough of the Manchego wedge left over to make a killer pizza or pasta for yourself the next day. To go with the crisps, buy a moderately priced jar of olives at the grocery store and doctor them up yourself.

A big round Malbec like the very affordable (about $8) Alamos 2007 is the perfect pour.

Manchego Crisps     makes about 20

1 ½ cups shredded Manchego cheese

1 T flour

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a large baking sheet and line with parchment paper. Stir together the Manchego and flour. Spoon level tablespoons of the mixture in mounds 4 inches apart and spread mounds gently into 3 ½"-long ovals. Bake crisps in middle of oven until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool crisps completely on baking sheet and remove carefully with a metal spatula. Crisps may be made 2 days in advance and kept between layers of wax paper in an airtight container at room temperature.

Marinated Olives

In a mixing bowl, crush half a small clove of garlic (or to taste). Add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, a few red pepper flakes and ¼ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves. Drain a jar of olives (any variety - mixed is nice) and add to bowl, mixing gently to coat.

No Bailout for You, Cook

What's for dinner tonight? For those of us who by design or default are charged with nourishing the people we live with, it's a question that presents itself with a certain soul-crushing sameness day in and day out.

But wait! The inescapable reality of the current recession has suddenly given the eternal question an exciting new spin: not only do most of us have to cook in even more often, we now need to do it as cheaply as possible. What?!, you're asking, how can this be construed as exciting in any way? Here's how. Strictures force a more creative thinking process - and creative thinking is like a *stimulus package* for better cooking!

All right, that may be an utter load, but let's try and be positive, shall we? It can't hurt, right? And really, with a new chance at gustatory transcendence (or at least a full stomach) available every single day, cooking - even in a recession - can be a gratifying endeavor in more ways than one.

Here's one of my favorite one-dish meals - it's cheap, filling, and you may have most of the ingredients on hand already!

Pasta with Beans and Greens   Serves 4

1 lb orecchiette (or other pasta shape)

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

3 T olive oil

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 lb spinach or other greens, leaves torn if very large

1 14 oz. can garbanzo or white beans, rinsed and drained

Grated parmesan for serving

Put pasta on to boil while you make the sauce. Pour a big glass of deliciously smoky 2006 Banrock Station Shiraz - a huge bargain at around $5. In large skillet, saute garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil over medium heat. When garlic is golden and fragrant, add greens and sprinkle with salt. Turn heat to low, cover skillet for a minute or two until greens wilt. Add beans and heat on low. When pasta is al dente, drain and add to skillet along with 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Cook over moderately high heat until liquid is absorbed. Serve with grated parmesan.