I mentioned a while back how much I enjoyed reading Frank Stitt’s cookbook. I actually lugged the giant tome to and from the beach over a few days. For my recent birthday, the wife bought me Soby’s New South Cuisine Cookbook so I could keep learning. Who could blame her? She eats the food.
Soby’s is an anchor in downtown Greenville and has been a leading force in making the city the culinary destination it is today. The book provides a glimpse into the history of the restaurant, the evolution of the menu, and valuable tips about ingredients and preparation. The wife bought it at the restaurant, and everyone came out of the kitchen to sign it.
I thought that particularly was nice touch, and we’ve decided to go there for our 5-year anniversary dinner this weekend.
After reading through the cookbook, I’m amazed it never occurred to me to use my pimento cheese (which is, to be frank, better than Soby’s) to make a macaroni-style dish. Soby’s uses ditalini and pimento cheese in their version of the side dish. We always keep ditalini in the pantry for ad hoc soups and pasta salads. The combination of the two is so simple it’s brilliant. You can expect to see my version of it on this site pretty soon.