Pecorino Fresh From The Farm

It all starts with the sheep being milked twice a day (sounds like a lot of work to me) and the milk is then held in a temperature controlled receptacle until it’s time to make the cheese. The milk is poured into this amazing copper cauldron sitting over a flame and rennet is added. I’m going to give you the simplified version as I don’t really remember all the steps involved.

Quite early on we were able to taste this warm and very creamy substance that had formed at the top of the pot.

As curds form the mixture is stirred around with a large rake-like stick. Eventually a large mass of cheese begins to form out the bottom of the pot.

I’m not quite sure how hot that milk is, but as you can see the woman of the household has her arms in there as she works on gathering the large clump that has come together.

She pulled out this massive pieces and proceeded to cut it into thirds. These were then pressed into molds where they will drain.

In the meantime we took a trip down to the cellar where the cheeses are aged. There we saw rounds of pecorino at various stages of aging. They are salted fairly early on (correct me Heather if I’m wrong about this) as you can see la signora doing. We inquired as to who was going to eat all this cheese and whether it was for sale and were informed that it’s for the family’s consumption and friends who stop by to make a purchase. I wish I was on that list.

The cellar also was also home to a variety of homemade salumi, also in the process of aging. Check out those large wine jugs peaking out at the bottom of the photo.

And one last step-the making of ricotta with the leftover whey. This is heated up almost to a boil and then the curds (if that’s the right word) are placed in another mold. We got to taste this too and oh my, how delicious right out of the pot!

We did get to sample some of the aged cheese and yes, it was amazing.

My fascination with pecorino began some years back on our first trip to Italy. It was a cold and rainy day and all the shops and restaurants were closed except a small enoteca. We ordered wine and lamented the fact that there was no place to get a bite to eat. With that the gentleman working there went and prepared us a plate of salumi and pecorino cheese. I was won over in an instant and whenever I’m in Italy I try to eat as much as I can. I lament the fact that I can’t really find good pecorino in San Diego.

At any rate it was my fascination with this cheese that led me to Heather and ultimately to this charming farm at the top of the mountain. Thank you for one very memorable day.

Pasquetta-Little Easter

In Italy the Monday after Easter is also a holiday known as Pasquetta. Schools are closed, most people are off from work and it’s a day when many families head off to the countryside for a picnic. It almost feels like the official start to spring. We may not be going on a picnic today, but I did make the perfect portable dish-Pizza Rustica.

Making this torta is a tradition in our house and it just doesn’t seem like Easter without it. As a college student my grandmother would pack me a piece to go and I would eat it on the train ride back to school. There are certainly variations on this recipe, some with a lot more cheese and meat than the version that I make. Mine is an approximation of what my grandmother served. I’ve written about it in the past, but it is certainly worth sharing again. Served right out of the oven or at room temperature, this classic southern Italian pie is a family favorite. I’ve even been known to sneak a piece out of the fridge!

For The Love Of Formaggio!

Many years ago while living in Boston I discovered a shop called “Formaggio Kitchen”. It was here that I learned that the word formaggio was Italian for cheese. It was also where I learned what it meant to buy cheese from different countries, worlds apart from what I had been buying in the grocery store.

Time has passed and thankfully it is much easier to find cheese from the world over. There’s been quite an artisanal cheese movement here in the US and I love sampling them and finding new favorites. My dream is to someday really learn the art of cheese making and starting a little operation myself. Maybe I should concentrate on making enough for family and friends.

There’s nothing like going to the local mercato all’aperto (outdoor market) at any town in Italy and buying the local cheese. Just looking at these photos makes me anxious for my Spring in Tuscany tour coming up at the end of April. You can bet they’ll be a round of pecorino toscano gracing our table along side some crusty bread and a platter of salumi. Are you surprised to heart belongs to the formaggio of Italy?

**Spring In Tuscany-Cook With Panini Girl In Lucca-two spots left-join us for the fun and lots of food!**

Today In Panini Girl’s Kitchen

I had the best day today! I have a friend who is planning on adding goats to her property. Can you say jealous? I have always wanted to make cheese and that’s her plan once she actually has goats munching on her weeds. In the mean time she’s been buying fresh (unpasteurized) goat’s milk from another farm and has been making her own cheese.

She’s been promising to bring me some of her finished product but instead, yesterday presented me with a 1/2 gallon of fresh goat’s milk and set me off on to make my own cheese. I’ve been thinking about taking a local class on cheese making, but decided to forge ahead toady on my own. It’s actually quite easy, but I’m not totally thrilled with my results. I was hoping for a really creamy cheese and it seems a little too dry. I’ll report back after I try it again. Below are the curds after they had been separated from the whey.

Once my cheese was in the fridge, I moved on to making the overnight dough for pizzas tomorrow’s supper. Now that I’ve been doing it for a few months, it’s a snap. I knew we would be having pasta for dinner tonight and had a craving for a crusty roll to accompany it and went on to baking a batch. Check back for the simple recipe I used for these perfect little bready bites. All in all it was a very productive day in the Panini Girl kitchen and I had a blast.

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Are You Ready To Eat?

After making pasta in Italy with eggs that had yolks the color of oranges, I decided to spring for a dozen of free range eggs at the farmers’ market. I’ve purchased them before and yes, they are tastier and fresher than the grocery store variety. I suppose I don’t buy them all the time because they do cost about twice as much. At any rate, I bought the better eggs and decided I needed to feature them in a dish, rather than just using them in baking.

I’m not even going to tell you what J. said when I announced that I was making a souffle for dinner. He’s not of the belief that it’s okay to serve eggs for the evening meal. I told him it was better than having no dinner, which I had suggested earlier in the day. I haven’t made a souffle in a while, but I knew that once you had your ingredients prepped, it was merely a matter of making a sauce, whipping some egg whites, folding and baking. Well, and timing. The timing is crucial. A souffle waits for no man and when it comes out of the oven, you better be ready to sit down and eat.

So here is where I apologize for the poor photo. The sun was setting, the natural light was waning and the souffle was ready to serve and so I snapped a photo without any care or preparation and there it is. Originally I had planned on a cheese souffle, but in my quest to make it a little more interesting to a man who doesn’t want eggs for dinner, I added some spinach. I used two recipes-one from Molly Wizenberg who makes everything she cooks seem easy and the other from Ina Garten, who needs no introduction.

Spinach Souffle

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk, heated until steaming
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 extra-large egg yolks
5 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1 package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3/4 cup (packed) grated aged cheddar cheese

Position the rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Butter a 6 cup souffle dish and add Parmesan cheese. Tilt the dish to coat the bottom and the sides.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until mixture begins to foam and loses raw taste, about 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour in warm milk, whisking until smooth. Return to the heat, whisking constantly until thick, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add nutmeg, paprika and salt. Add egg yolks one at a time. Stir in the cheese and the spinach and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Cool to lukewarm.

Put the egg whites and a pinch of salt into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until stiff, but not dry. Whisk one quarter of whites into souffle base to lighten. Then gradually fold in the rest of the whites. Transfer the batter to the prepared dish.

Place the dish in the oven and immediately turn the oven down to 375 degrees. Bake until souffle is puffed and golden on top and center moves only slightly when dish is shaken gently, about 25 minutes. Do not open the door to the oven during the first 20 minutes. Serve immediately. Serves:2-3 as main course

Guess who liked his dinner?

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A Dessert Fresh From The Farm

Ricotta cheese. Most of us probably associate this cheese with lasagna or a filling for ravioli. The word ricotta actually means re-cooked and is made with the whey that is left over after another cheese is produced. You’ve all heard of “curds and whey”-well the curds get formed into cheese and the whey that is left over is boiled and made into ricotta. I thought I made ricotta once using a recipe from Gourmet magazine, only to find out that it wasn’t actually ricotta since I hadn’t made it from whey!

Our recent trip to the farm in the Garfagnana to watch pecorino being made included a lesson in ricotta. It really didn’t take that long for the cheese to form and the farmer happily gave us a taste while it was still warm and I can tell you, it wasn’t like any ricotta I’d ever eaten! I savored that spoonful of cheese and wished I could have had a bowlful. Little did I know that there was a big treat in store for us before we left the farm. After lunch (which I’ll tell you about next time) the farmer’s wife brought dessert to the table-slices of the fresh ricotta covered with a sauce she made from wild blueberries.

The combination of the creamy cheese and the slightly tart blueberry sauce was amazing. It really was the essence of what Italian food is all about-simple food, made with the freshest ingredients. Nothing fancy, but just perfect.

Dessert photo courtesy of H., our guide.

With Sheep You Get …

The sheep are the hint as to why we made the journey up into the Garfagnana. I have a thing for cheese. I dream of someday doing an internship on a farm where I can learn the art of cheese making. When I first decided on bringing a group to Lucca I began the search for a farm where we could see them make cheese. With sheep you get pecorino. We’ve been eating it all week here in Lucca, so why not go to the source?

We pulled up to the little farm in the middle of nowhere about ten in the morning-just in time for the show to begin. The sheep are milked twice a day. The evening milk can be held overnight and blended with the milk from the morning. The first step is to heat the milk in this fabulous copper cauldron. It’s left on the heat for about 40 minutes and at some point rennet is added (I can’t remember if it was at the beginning or after the 40 minutes). Then the mixture is stirred around with a giant wooden rake like stick.

At some point a mass starts to coagulate at the bottom of the pot. The mama at this fattoria (farm) was the one responsible for forming the cheese. She was up to her elbows in the warm milk and was sort of kneading the cheese to form it into one large piece. At this point she was joined by her husband who handed her a large knife. She cut the cheese into three large pieces and he was at the sink ready to place each piece into a container with holes in it. His job was to pack the cheese and then turned each piece over in its form a few times.

When the cheese was packed into its forms the process for making ricotta with the leftover milk began. I was fascinated that two kinds of cheese were made there right before our eyes and it really didn’t take that long.The proud papa finished up the ricotta and then passed around spoons for us to taste it while it was still warm. Amazing and so incredibly delicious.

Here’s a peek at the rounds of pecorino aging in the cool cellar beneath the house.

Autumn In Tuscany-Cook With Panini Girl In Lucca

Got Cheese?

Do you like cheese? I’m passionate about it and dream of someday spending time on a farm so I can learn the art of cheesemaking. How cool would that be! I’ve made ricotta in my tiny kitchen, but that’s about it. Would our neighbors mind if I had a few sheep or goats out back and spent my mornings milking?

Until I can start my career as a cheesemaker, I will have to satisfy my yearning by sampling the best cheeses that I can find. Don’t you wish these cheese vendors pulled up to your local farmers’ market every weekend? I’d like to say that they were regulars at my mine, but I must admit I found these vendors at a mercato all’aperto in Italy. Now if you had signed up to Cook With Panini Girl in Italy not only would you be able to shop like a local and buy the freshest Italian cheeses at one of the amazing markets we’ll visit, but you’d be visiting a mountain farm where it’s made. Don’t miss out-check back soon for details on my trip this fall. Great food, stunning scenery and lots of fun!

Tomini Elettrici

I love cheese. In my dreams I am a cheesemaker, tending a small herd of goats or sheep and turning their milk into cheese that I can spread on freshly baked bread for breakfast and wrap up in parchment and twine and give to friends as gifts. That’s in my dreams. I joke with J. about getting a few goats for our postage stamp backyard. In my real life I go to a cheese shop, make a purchase and place my cheese lovingly on one of my favorite platters. When stumped for the perfect starter for a dinner party, I turn to a good cheese without a second thought. It’s easy, but is that so bad?

I ran across this recipe recently and decided it was time to make it again. I have memories of serving this years ago for a catering job. It couldn’t be easier and combines two things that go naturally together-cheese and tomatoes. This dish originally hails from the Piemonte region of Italy where tomini elettetrici (which means “electric cheese”) was frequently made with a cow’s milk cheese. I’ve chosen to make it with a mild goat cheese and served it with toasted crostini. I’m wondering why I waited so long to make this appetizer which is definitely simple to prepare and is so full of flavor.

Goat Cheese with Spicy Tomato Sauce

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/3 cup extra-virign olive oil
2 cups peeled, seeded and finely chopped plum tomatoes
1/2 cup tomate puree
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

To make the sauce, heat the red pepper flakes in the olive oil over medium heat for a few minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand for a few minutes. Add the tomato, puree, vinegar and a little sugar for balance and place the heat over low heat and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat, season to taste with salt and pepper and let cool completely. Arrange goat cheese on a plate and spoon sauce over. Serve with bread or crostini. To be honest, mine has a little more sauce than I had planned, but I knew that my guests would be scooping it up!

Recipe courtesy of Joyce Goldstein’s book Antipasti.

Frittata Di Pane

It’s definitely time for tomatoes, even though our poor little garden is struggling this year (thanks to three solid months of cool, cloudy weather). I will not be deterred though and have been buying tomatoes rather than picking them from my plants.

I’ve written about this recipe before, but it’s so good that it bears repeating. I first stumbled upon it in Faith Willinger’s wonderful book Adventures of an Italian Food Lover. At first glance you might think this is the much loved bruschetta, but although it is similar, this dish is actually cooked. Think “savory french toast” topped with chopped (uncooked) tomatoes. It’s simple to prepare and is a wonderful light lunch. There’s something delectable about the contrast of the warm, eggy bread and the juicy, ripe tomatoes dressed with extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil. Try it, you’ll it.

Frittata di Pane

4 eggs
1/4 cup water
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
4-6 slices of stale country bread, cut 1/2″ thick
2 cups chopped, fresh tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Put the eggs, water and 1 tablespoon water in a large shallow bowl. Season with salt and pepper and whisk to combine. Add the slices of bread and submerge in the egg mixture until the bread has soaked up most of the mixture, about 10-15 minutes.

In a another bowl combine the tomatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, the basil and season with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large non-stick skillet, add the bread and cook on low until the bread is brown underneath. Turn slices over and brown on the other side. When done, remove to a plate, top with tomatoes. Serves: 4