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April 13 - April 20,2003 |
Versatile tasty goat's milk
Pecorino served as delicious substitute to other cheeses
By Lynn Luciani
Originally Published: 2003-03-23
The elders of the hilltop village of Castropiangno in Molise claim that the springtime cheeses are one of their favourite seasonal treasures. They claim the first grass of the year to sprout, the fragrant, springtime herbs of the hills for which the region is famous, impart an incomparable flavour to the sheep's milk cheese. For this reason, the cheese makers make sure the animals can graze undisturbed across vast green pastures.
Pecorino is sheep's milk cheese that is usually associated with the southernmost regions of Italy, but this aromatic sheep's milk cheese is just as typical of central Italy and Tuscany where no household would be without its precious cacio as it is known there.
Pecorino is produced from December to August, but it's in the month of March that a remarkable specialty is made. Marzolino is made with the first milk of the springtime grazing. This small egg-shaped pecorino, tastes best when it is still quite new, melted over spears of freshly steamed asparagus and drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar. Traditionally Marzolino is enjoyed with roasted red peppers, salami and artichoke in an antipasto or on at the end of a meal surrounded by nuts, fresh fruits and a fine red wine. But in the northern regions, chunks of Marzolino is a preferred delicacy with a before-dinner glass of chilled spumante.
Much of the Pecorino cheese of Italy is still made in farmhouses rather than factories and when older, its distinctive flavour is not unlike that of Parmesan. Pecorino can instantly lift the flavours of pasta, risotto or polenta and is traditionally added to sauces and salads. Once regarded as a peasant's specialty, often eaten as a snack with a chunk of bread and strong Tuscan wine, it can once again be found in the finest kitchens throughout Italy.
Today you can find pecorino used in a variety of trendy new dishes. Young pecorino diced into small chunks is added to slices of grilled zucchini, and tossed with toasted pine nuts, plenty of fresh basil and dressed with a shallot-infused extra virgin olive oil dressing. The ingredients are served over top of warm pasta that embellishes the flavours and releases the aromas.
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