Cheese Grits and Spaghetti alla Norma

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FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Rosemary Zwick for this one:

One night a fire started inside the local sausage factory. In a blink
the building was engulfed in flames. The alarm went out to all the fire
departments for miles around. When the first volunteer fire fighters
appeared on the scene, the sausage company president rushed to the fire
chief and said, "All of our secret sausage recipes are in the vault in
the center of the plant. They must be saved. I will donate $50,000 to
the fire department that brings them out and delivers them to me."

But the roaring flames held the firefighters off. Soon more fire
departments had to be called in because the situation became desperate.
As the firemen arrived, the president shouted out that the offer to
extricate the secret recipes was now $100,000 to the fire department
that could save them. Suddenly from up the road, a lone siren was heard
as another fire truck came into sight. It was the fire engine of the
nearby volunteer fire department composed mainly of firefighters over
the age of 65

To everyone's amazement, the little run-down fire engine operated by
these firefighters passed fire engines parked outside the plant and
drove straight into the middle of the inferno. Outside, the other
firemen watched in amazement as the old timers jumped off and began to
fight the fire with a performance that was as if they were fighting to
save their own lives Within a short time, the old timers had
extinguished the fire and saved the secret recipes. The grateful sausage
company president joyfully announced that for such a superhuman
accomplishment he was upping the reward to $200,000, and walked over to
personally thank each of the brave elderly firefighters. A TV news crew
rushed in after capturing the event on film. The 'on camera' reporter
asked the fire chief, "What are you going to do with all that money?"

"Well," said the 70-year-old fire chief, "The first thing we’re going to
do is fix the brakes on that truck.”

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            TODAY'S RECIPES
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I once overheard a Northerner (or "Yankee" as they're known
hereabouts) say, "I tried a grit once and didn't like it." It's no
wonder, because grits are always served in the plural. If you
have trouble locating genuine Southern grits in your neighborhood,
you can get them here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000CD022/worldwiderecipes

Cheese Grits

4 cups (1 L) milk
1 cup (250 ml) uncooked grits (not the instant variety)
1/4 lb (110 g) butter
8 oz (225 g) grated cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 Tbs (30 ml) grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

Bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan over moderate heat. Add
the grits slowly, stirring constantly. Stir in the butter. Reduce the
heat and simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, until the grits are
the consistency of porridge, about 20 minutes. Remove from the
heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. Serves 6 to 8.

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This dish is a Sicilian classic where it appears on almost every
restaurant menu. Supposedly named for the opera "Norma" by
Vicenzo Bellini, a Sicilian, it is a simple yet elegant combination
of eggplant, tomatoes, and mozzarella. Whatever you do, use
fresh mozzarella and not the rubbery stuff made for putting on pizzas.

Spaghetti alla Norm

2 Tbs (30 ml) olive oil
1-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 lbs (675 g) tomatoes, peeled if desired and diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 lb (450 g) eggplant, peeled and diced
1 lb (450 g) spaghetti or other pasta,
cooked according to package directions and drained
1/2 lb (225 g) fresh mozzarella, diced
About 12 leaves fresh basil, torn into pieces

Heat the oil in a skillet large enough to hold the cooked pasta over
moderate heat and saute the garlic for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes,
salt, and pepper and cook until the liquid from the tomatoes has
evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add the eggplant, stirring to combine, and
cook covered for 15 minutes. Add the cooked spaghetti, mozzarella, and
basil and toss to combine. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Wed May 2 07:52:58 2007