We saw the landscape where they graze. We now understand their daily milking routine. We learned how their milk is used to make different cheeses. We tasted the cheeses made from all of these elements and the air and sun. Thank you to these gentle sheep for giving us sustenance!
Tag: cheese
Let’s Talk Cheese: Part 9
In the Valle del Belice in Trapani Province, Sicily, they produce a DOP (Denominazione d’Origine Protetta or Protected Designation of Origin) certified “pasta filata” (stretched/pulled) cheese called Vastedda della Valle del Belice. The name, vastedda, comes from the local Sicilian language–vasta means “gone bad.” In other words, the cheese is made from pecorino cheese that…
Let’s Talk Cheese: Part 8
So, my tips when visiting the caseificio/cheese maker/dairy farm is to arrive early (8:30? You’ll have to ask their schedule.) to watch the process. But most importantly, to taste the tuma and ricotta right off of the draining table, when it’s still warm. Go hungry, and bring with you a few rolls of freshly baked,…
Let’s Talk Cheese: Part 7
Once the curds have formed and have begun to float to the top of the mixture in the cauldron, the cheese maker is on a schedule. Careful to not overcook the curds, he removes them from the heat and then methodically scoops the now ricotta cheese into a different set of plastic baskets that are…
Let’s Talk Cheese: Part 6
If you’ll recall from Part 4 of this series, when the cheese maker pressed the curds in the baskets, from them whey drained into a bucket below the stainless steal, angled tub. Let’s talk about what happens with that liquid, which is sheep’s milk that has been heated and treated with a cocktail of good…
Let’s Talk Cheese: Part 5
I left off yesterday, teasing you with tuma, the first, very simple sheep’s milk cheese that is a result of this process I’ve been explaining (or at least, trying to). Cheese making continues to be a mystery to me, which is why I’ve embarked on this journey. Fresh tuma must be eaten within one or…
Let’s Talk Cheese: Part 4
An important step during the heating of the milk is stirring it. The cheese maker takes what looks like a broom (It sort of is.) and continuously stirs to break up the curdling milk (That is, for pecorino cheese, which in this scenario, is what “we are making.”). Once he (or she) is happy with…
Let’s Talk Cheese: Part 3
Once our ladies have been happily and healthfully fed, during the spring, after they’ve given birth, they give the most milk. Sheep are milked twice per day – every 12 hours, let’s say, at 7 a.m. and again at 7 p.m. Slow food and DOP farms milk by hand. Others use machines to milk their…
Let’s Talk Cheese: Part 2
On sheep farms that are serious about producing Slow Food designated, Certified Organic, or DOP (Denominazione d’Origine Protetta or Protected Designation of Origin) certified cheeses, they not only graze their sheep in regional fields that they know are safe for their animals, but they also serve their ladies grains and legumes that they grow on…
Let’s Talk Cheese: Part 1
Like a fine wine, cheese takes on the terroir, or the natural production environment, where it is produced. So, how does one begin to make excellent tasting cheese? It starts with the animal from where the milk that becomes the cheese comes, but first it starts from the grass and grains that the animal eats….