Pecorino cheese: what is it and what can be replaced?

Real Italian cheese is the product that every self-respecting gourmet should try.Cooked according to special technologies, with a soul, it contains a whole range of tastes. They say that one piece of cheese is enough to fall in love with Italy once and for all.

The most famous cheese of the Mediterranean state is Pecorino. In regions this product may look different: somewhere it is made very hard, and somewhere - it is brought closer to almost fused species. But at the same time, any resident of Italy, even with a blindfold, will unmistakably recognize the favorite taste of hundreds of others. So what is the secret?

This cheese, like everyone else, is made from the milk of an animal. True, it's not about the cow. If we take into account the origin of the word, it immediately becomes clear what the striking difference between this product. “Pecora” from Italian is translated as “sheep”. And if we take Latin as a basis, then in translation we have the generalized name of livestock. As a result, we find that under the name Pecorino a whole family of cheeses is combined, predominantly of hard varieties, which are made in Italy and for the manufacture of which only sheep milk is taken.

Locals saturate the cheeses with various additives. These can be chili peppers, walnuts, rucola or even truffle crumb. A specific filling is placed in Sicilian cheese - the larvae of cheese flies. The output is the so-called "rotten cheese", which is here a real delicacy.

The cost of Pecorino cheeses is high everywhere. In Italy for 1 kilogram you will give from 15 to 29 euros. In this case, the cheese will be all factory stamps confirming its authenticity. In Russian stores, this cheese is not imported, except in the elite shops. But through intermediaries you can try to get it - for 2000-3500 rubles. True, in this case you will not know whether the real Pecorino is in front of you or not.

Perhaps Pecorino includes the most useful properties of cheeses. It is understandable, because sheep milk itself has great value for human health. Pecorino contains many beneficial amino acids and a whole list of vitamins: C, E, A, B and PP. In addition, in the cheeses of this type are calcium (about 77% of the daily requirement), potassium, sodium and phosphorus. Calcium, as it is known, strengthens bone tissue and nerve fibers, and also participates in the processes of muscle recovery and is responsible for good blood clotting. Potassium, in turn, is responsible for the stable functioning of the cardiac system.

High protein content - 26 grams per 100 grams of the product - allows you to eat cheese every day for both children and adults. After all, protein is a necessary building material for our cells. It is worth noting that Pecorino, like most cheeses, is distinguished by a high percentage of fat - about 33 grams per 100 grams of product. But at the same time, according to research, in the composition of fats mainly linoleic acid. It helps reduce the likelihood of skin cancer, breast cancer and gastrointestinal tract cancer. With its help it is much easier to lose weight. Therefore, experts refer Pecorino cheese to dietary. In addition, the acid helps strengthen the heart and blood vessels, improve immunity.

In the world there are many varieties of Pecorino, the most popular of them - Romano. For the first time about this variety learned, in the 19th century, the Americans. They presented this product to the public. Ever since and to this day, the United States has been the first major supplier of cheese from Italy.

The production of Romano, like several centuries ago, is still concentrated in Sardinia. The story goes that Sardinians emigrated to Tuscany, where they created a second-class Pecorino-Toscano. It is also popular, but less so.The following two varieties - Sardo and Siciliano - never gained mass fame. However, at home, the Italians are happy to eat all of the above types.

To begin with, this is the only cheese that has a long history. Another Roman legionnaires received a slice of this product every day as a supplement to dinner. This hard cheese has a salty taste. Since it is convenient to grind it on a grater, Romano is most often used as a supplement to main courses.

Unfortunately, most of us have never tried the real Pecorino Romano. The fact is that in large-scale production facilities, where products come from the store shelves, pasteurized milk is used to make cheese. In Italy, the heat treatment of milk and its pasteurization are prohibited. That is why Real Romano can be tasted only in Italy.

From the history. Back in 1980, manufacturers of cheeses in Sardinia and with Lazio (Rome) were asked to protect Romano from fakes. For this, a consortium was convened. The petition was granted. After 16 years, the product received the status of a product with a protected name of origin (DOP). The production of cheese is carried out the most severe supervision to this day.

According to the law, only the masters of Sardinia, Lazio and Tuscany can produce authentic Romano. By the way, production here is not automated to this day, and valuable cheese heads are made as many years ago - by hand.

Romano is made from chilled fresh milk, which is heated to about 50-65 degrees for 15 seconds. After that add fresh starter, cooked just now, and rennet. Together, they heat to 40 degrees and wait for coagulation. Each master receives a clot into small particles. When the cook decides that you can start cooking the product, the next stage of cooking begins. By the way, the cooking temperature should not exceed 50 degrees.

When the mass is released from the separated serum, it is placed under the press. The next two or three days cheese acidifies.

New stage - salting heads. The ambassador occurs either through immersion in a solution, or in a standard way that is familiar to us. The process lasts a little more than two months and is necessarily carried out in wet and cool rooms.

After three months, the product is almost ready: it is sufficiently saline and dried. Cheese heads are stored in special chambers with a low temperature for another 7-9 months. Only after this can we say that Romano "matured." The product is salty and spicy, has a characteristic white or slightly yellowish color and dense structure.

By itself, you will need fresh sheep milk, and 10 liters of it. Pharmacy ferment based on thermophilic bacteria. Half a teaspoon of liquid enzyme. Salt solution on the tip of a teaspoon. And good olive oil.

Sure to thoroughly wash all containers that are useful to you during the preparation of the product, and sterilize the devices. Only after that we advise to start the main process.

Heat the milk to 33 degrees, pour the leaven on top and leave for five minutes without stirring! After this time, gently mix the bacteria with the milk. Do this slowly so that the liquid does not boil. All this time, the temperature should remain at around 33 degrees.

Leave the mixture for 20 minutes. Do not forget about the temperature! At this time, dilute the enzyme with two tablespoons of water, add to the milky-bacterial solution and mix. Leave it for another hour.

As a result, you should have a tight clot that should be cut into cubes no more than half a centimeter thick.

The next step is to increase the temperature. You should end up with 46 degrees. You need to do this extremely slowly, stretching the pleasure for almost an hour. Grain mass all this time, it is important to gently interfere. Now cover the container - let it “fit” for the next half hour.

Heat the cheese form slightly. Drain the whey mass and tamp the future cheese in the form as tightly as possible, shifting it with a cheese cloth. The next half hour, the workpiece must lie under the press. After that, the fabric needs to be changed and sent back under the press, this time for an hour. Then repeat these procedures again and leave the cheese to lie for at least 12 hours.

The next day, you can start salting. We will do this with the help of brine. In it, the cheese should lie for about twenty hours. In this case, do not forget to turn your workpiece, when it is half the allotted time.

After a day you should get the cheese from the brine. Now it is important to dry it well at room temperature. This should be done for three or even four days, turning the cheese head once a day until the piece is dry. You can check it by simply touching it.

Now there is the last stage - endurance. The ideal cheese is obtained if it is placed in high humidity conditions. It is about 86%. At the same time, the air temperature should not exceed 13 degrees. Enriched with taste the product should be 5 months.

If mold appears on the cheese, it should be carefully removed with a cloth dipped in acetic acid.

After three months, brush the cheese with olive oil to prevent the product from overdrying. Also, the oil will trigger the development of a protective peel. Butter cheese heads should be oiled about once a month, sometimes less often.

The perfect cheese, weighing 2 kilograms, you get, after two years of aging. Separately, it is worth mentioning the storage of Pecorino Romano, as the cut cheese head spoils faster than the products we are used to. Remember that the Italian product insisted in a room with high humidity. To keep it as long as possible, you need to create similar conditions. To do this, wrap the piece in polyethylene, leaving the crust of cheese to breathe, place it in a container and put it in the refrigerator.

In Italy, only Parmesan is considered a substitute for Pecorino. But this is a more expensive kind of cheese, in Russia as well. In recipes, instead of Pecorino Romano, you can use cheese, cooked, of course, on sheep's milk, or any hard cheese such as Russian. But we must remember that any replacement will affect the taste of the dish.

If we talk about Italy, then Pecorino cheeses made to finish lunch and dinner. That is why it is eaten, for example, after pasta dishes.

Also cheese combined with tomatoes and basil is a great snack. In Tuscany, for example, the traditional dish is Pecorino with string beans. And for dessert they like to serve cheese with fruits or berries. Pecorino is also listed here with honey.

Now it is a little about dishes in which we can add a product favorite by Italians. Cheese lovers say that all Pecorino varieties have a pronounced smell inherent in sheep's milk. It is possible to muffle this scent, unusual to many people, only by heat treatment. Therefore, Pecorino sprinkle second courses, add to the pizza and make with it delicious hot sandwiches.

We, in turn, offer you an unusual, but simple recipe with the addition of Pecorino Romano.

Gnocchi from semolina.If you have not been to Italy, then the name of the dish, as well as the recipe itself, will be new to you. We explain, gnocchi - it is dumplings in Italian.

Prepare the following foods: a glass of semolina, 1 liter of milk, 70 grams of butter, eggs, or rather their yolks, 3 pcs; 100 grams of Romano cheese, salt and pepper to taste, olive oil. Nutmeg adds a spicy note.

In a small saucepan, heat the milk, salt and pepper it. In the boiling mass run semolina, do not forget to constantly stir. Cool the finished porridge, enter the yolks, a pinch of nutmeg (if any), 1/2 of the butter and a quarter of the chopped cheese.

From the resulting dough, roll the small balls that you want to put on a greased baking dish. We advise on every future dumpling also drip oil. After that, press the balls with a spoon so that they become about half a centimeter thick. These cakes should be sprinkled with cheese and crushed on a grated butter.

Dish bake in the oven at 180 degrees for five to seven minutes.

Barbecue ketchup or tomato sauce ideally complements the treat.

Have you already wanted to taste flavored and spicy cheese in Italy? We hope so. Because Pecorino and, in particular, the variety Romano deserve the highest praise. The benefits of this product are huge. A few pieces will be enough for you to maintain immunity at the height of the next month and recharge with new impressions.

How do Pecorino, see the next video.