Dear fellow food-lover,
Welcome to The Cheese Plate, a monthly email from Oldways with curated information about different types of traditional cheeses, with ideal pairings. Let The Cheese Plate be a guide to put wonderful traditional cheeses on your plate.
Visit our Cheese Store Directory to find where to buy traditional cheeses near you and to support cheesemakers and retailers during these challenging times. For tips on buying cheese, download our e-book, The Cheese-Lover’s Guide to Cooking with Traditional Cheeses.
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While Parmigiano Reggiano or Mozzarella might be the first cheese you think of when you think of Italian cheeses, traditional producers in Italy make an extraordinary array of incredible cheeses. This month we’re highlighting three rich and flavorful cheeses from Italian cheese makers. Together, as cheese lovers, we must recognize, celebrate, and support these cheese makers for their exceptional work and sustainability efforts. The industry is at risk, and our combined support is more important now than ever to preserve their time-honored traditions. |
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The Rosso family has been making Castelrosso since 1894 with milk from a local Piedmont cow breed: Pezzata Rossa. During the production of this cheese, the milk rests in order to acidify it. This makes the cheese ripen from the outside in, and is the reason the cheese is sometimes called Toma Brusca (“acid cheese”).
Castelrosso is aged for 3 months. As it ages, it develops a complex flavor that is both earthy and a bit sour. The final note is tangy and satisfying.
Include Castelrosso on your next cheese board with a drizzle of honey for a sweet indulgence after dinner, or serve basil pesto with it for a savory appetizer.
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Malghe di Vezzena
Maker: Monti Trentini (Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy)
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Since 1925, Monti Trentini has been crafting fine cheeses with the milk of cows that live and graze on high Vezzena plateau mountain farms in the northern part of the Veneto region. Malghe di Vezzena is a seasonal cheese, made in the summer with this special regional milk, and then aged for at least 10 months.
Throughout careful production and the time spent aging to perfection, the cheese develops a semi-hard, dense and slightly granular texture. It is creamy and rich with the flavors of cooked butter and roasted nuts.
Malghe di Vezzena is excellent eaten alone or as an elegant finish shaved on top of pasta. It’s also a wonderful way to add creamy, buttery goodness to risotto.
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A 5th generation family farm, Caseificio Sepertino has been making cheeses since 1930 in the region of Piedmont, in northwest Italy. They use unique methods to produce cheeses like Parbleu di Capra, a blue cheese made with pasteurized goat’s milk, which is something you don’t see often.
Aged over 60 days, Parbleu di Capra is soft, yet friable (a.k.a. easy to crumble). It has a balanced flavor that captures the essence and terroir of two of its main ingredients: local goat milk and blue mold.
If you are in the mood to be transported to Italy, it’s time to pick up a wedge of Parbleu di Capra. If you're up for it, grab some mussels too and make Bleu di Capra Mussels. Enjoy it with a bottle of wine and good company.
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When you pair a ripe juicy pear with cheese, the result is more than the sum of its parts. The sweetness of the pear is a complement to the saltiness of a cheese, especially blue cheese.
The moist texture of a fresh pear, is a complement to the firmness of a cheese. For a simple snack, have pear slices with a wedge of cheese. For a luscious late summer/early fall lunch, make a pear jelly or decadent cake to serve with cheese. Or, top a bed of greens with pears and cheese for a satisfying salad.
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Celebrate International Raw Milk Cheese Appreciation Day |
Mark your calendars! International Raw Milk Cheese Appreciation Day is October 17, 2020. Celebrate and show your support for traditional raw milk cheese by visiting cheese counters, tasting, purchasing, and enjoying delicious raw milk cheeses.
Follow #rawcheeseday on social media, and post to share how you are celebrating!
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