It’s funny how when extended family get together, various cooking differences crop up.
The husband’s family was here for Thanksgiving and last night we made garlic bread.
Sister-in-law asked if I had parmesan cheese, I produced it, and asked what she needed it for and she said she puts it on the garlic bread. (And she ended up really slathering it on, it wasn’t just a sprinkling.)
Am I a weirdo for thinking this is a bit yucky? I happen to love cheese, especially freshly grated parmesan, but putting it on the garlic bread really ooged me out.
To me the final product almost seemed more like a grilled cheese than garlic bread.
What about y’all?
Do you always/sometimes/never break out the parmesan when preparing garlic bread?
I worked at a pizza joint in high school. You get bored with the regular way to make the food when you wanna eat. Why I started eating ranch dressing with pizza and toasted ravioli.
But we also would substitute parmesan for the regular cheese when making cheese bread for ourselves sometimes. Butter, parm instead of provel, bake it like normal = awesome. Well as long as it’s really buttery and horrible for you, it’s good. But YMMV, cause I eat horribly sometimes.
There are few foods that can’t be improved* by parmesan cheese. I sprinkle a little on my scrambled eggs, stir-fried vegetables, what-have-you. I haven’t tried it on popcorn yet, but I’m game the next time I pop a movie in the DVD player!
*If not “improved”, at least it makes a nice variation.
Yeah, lots of times I end up telling other people they are missing out on this or that. I love adding parmesan to Mexican bean dip and a jillion other things, some of them actually Italian.
But to me, garlic bread is garlic bread.
When I looked at that glistening, melted parmesan, it just looked so wrong.
I make garlic bread with parmesan cheese sometimes, I do like it.
I do agree it may be a little rude to add condiments/seasoning to foods unless they are already provided by the host- I’d be a little miffed if somebody asked for barbecue sauce to put on their steak, for example.
I make a paste out of a softened stick of butter, minced garlic, a touch of garlic salt, and a few tablespoons of parmesan. I spread it on thick-sliced French or Italian bread, then toast it. It’s very good.
The best recipe I have ever tried, and is a hit with everyone who has tried it:
Use those mini-French loaves of bread, slice in half.
Put lots of garlic and butter/margarine on each slice.
Then, mix in a bowl Parmesan cheese and mayonnaise to make a thick paste (go easy on the mayo!).
Spread that on top of the bread.
Put into broiler and watch carefully…when it turns light brown, take it out immediately (goes from light brown to burnt in seconds!).
The Parmesan/mayo mixture puffs up a bit and gives the garlic bread a whole new layer.
Give it a try sometime - I think you will be impressed.
I first got the recipe from my brother in Arizona - seems this is the “secret” recipe used by one of the best Italian restaurants in Scottsdale.
Does anyone else detect the subtle irony of a poster named Caprese asking about whether parmesan, garlic, and bread go together? (Caprese means “of the isle of Capri”, home to some astounding neapolitan cuisine.)
Personally I like fresh italian bread, sprinkled with olive oil, spread with roasted garlic, then dusted with some parmesan.
For the most part, I believe that foods that cannot be improved with cheese aren’t really worth eating (there are exceptions. but it’s a good general rule of life.)
