Plum Flatbread, Roast Cod, and the Balance of Payments

So, if an American buys her plum flatbread with U.S. dollars from an Italian, she purchases an import while increasing her foreign liabilities. And if that Italian, he buys some fresh American cod with his lira? American exports increase, as do our foreign assets.

See--if I tie my foodblogging to economics? Then I can justify the time spent writing this post.

First, let me tell ya about plum flatbread. A few weeks ago, I discovered this late summer delicacy at Casellula Wine and Cheese, a tiny Hell's Kitchen joint. J was out of town, and I was distressed that I hadn't ventured below 96th Street in ages. Thumbing through New York Magazine's Cheap Eats, I noted this spot, figuring it was close enough to make it back home with plenty of study time left in the night.

The plum flatbread stole the show--so much so that I attempted to recreate it for friends at home the very next night. Toast some thin, hearty bread. Roast some plums in the oven for about 1/2 hour. Spread the plums on top of the bread, top with fresh ricotta and arugula tossed with balsamic vinaigrette. If you're not entertaining vegetarians, add some thin slices of prosciutto for extra decadence.

The lovely cod you see at the top of the post? It's all J. He's become the cook in the Sikorsky-Stewart household--as I slave over 800+ pages of reading a week, he chops and sautes with the best of them. He roasted this cod in the oven with green onions, tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper and it was gone in about 5 minutes. Perhaps I'll never be "less busy" than he is again!