The countryside of Salemi, Trapani Province, Sicily Green spring grasses + Sheep = Excellent sheep’s milk cheese! (Tuma, Pecorino, Pecorino stagionale, Ricotta, Ricotta salata, Vastedda del Belice … )
Tag: pecore
Purity And Sacrifice: Easter Lambs in Sicily
Happy Easter! Buona Pasqua! The lamb is one of the most prominent symbols of Easter. In Christianity, it symbolizes purity and sacrifice – two qualities associated with Jesus Christ. The basic form of the lamb is created from marzipan (sweet almond paste) using a mold. Then the cook decorates the pastry according to his or…
LIVE, Day 5, Stirring Sicily East: The Land Teaches Us
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!
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 The Land And The Locals Guide You
Happy Experience Sicily clients today enjoying a Jeep tour in the countryside of Agrigento Province with Pierfilippo Spoto of Val di kam. The best experiences happen when you allow the land to show you the way. (Photo Credit: Pierfilippo Spoto)
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 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….
We Made Little Lambs (for Easter)
This flock of Favara-style Easter lambs was made by our Stirring Sicily cooking and wine tour group in September 2016 with chef Nino Elia and Zest of Lititz, Penn. under the direction of Annalisa Pompeo of GoSicily. In Sicily, the lamb is one of the most prominent symbols of Easter. The edible art is made…