Tag: DOP

Robiola di Roccaverano, wonderful 40 year old DOP! – Italian Cuisine

French goats? Ha ha ha … maybe you have never tasted the robiola di Roccaverano! Of course, that ours is a country of dairy delicacies we know it and it certainly does not have to make us notice the comparison with our French cousins: from the neighboring Valdostana Fontina to the inimitable Gorgonzola, from the pecorino all to be discovered to the buffaloes – which now go well beyond mozzarella – to the Parmesan to conquer the world , we are so greedy of our cheeses that, if possible, we find the way to even eat the crust!
And yet, as far as goats are concerned, we tend to always perceive ourselves in the shadow of the producers of chèvre. Well, we repeat: we must try out the Robiola di Roccaverano!

It is a specialty of the homonymous country piedmontese, not far from the Ligurian lands and at the same time the capital of the Langa Astigiana, of which it is the highest municipality in a landscape of wild hill but at the same time tamed and shaped by man. In reality the area of production of this robiola is now composed of as many as 19 municipalities, of which almost half are in the province of Alessandria. On all the vegetation of the area of the area where the goats feed, the damp winds that come from the sea blow; according to the season, the flocks produce milk with different flavors: the sainfoin, for example, is a very popular herb, which makes robiola sweet.

The origins of this exquisite cheese are very ancient and date back even to Celts settled in Liguria. But do you know who decreed the Robiola di Roccaverano produced with protected origin, DOP? Nothing less than the President of the Republic Sandro Pertini, which in March of 40 years ago signed its signature on the recognition decree.

So what are its characteristics? White pasta and soft, this cheese is made with raw milk, which can be entirely of goat of the Roccaverano and Camosciata Alpina breeds, or mixed goat (minimum 50%) with milk of Langhe sheep or cow, of Piedmontese or Bruna Alpina breed. These animals eat only local foods (minimum 80%). The minimum percentage of fat on the dry substance must be not less than 40%.

The shape of the cheeses is the classic cylindrical one. The taste varies from mild to decided, depending very much on the seasoning. In fresh version (matured from 4 to 8 days), the Robiola di Roccaverano is soft and creamy, almost crust-free and with a delicate, tasty and / or slightly acid taste. The typology refined or aged on the other hand, it has a straw-colored and reddish crust with a natural flowering of mold and under the crust the consistency can be soft and a little compact or particularly creamy. The taste? definitely decided!

And speaking of decision: when you don't know how to decide in the choice between fresh and seasoned, buy at least a couple, to enjoy a fresh one and let the other mature in the fridge, keeping it in a porous bowl porcelain or terracotta, covered by a saucer of the same material (no plastic or glass!). Live milk enzymes will continue to work for you, and it will be a little satisfying to have finished making cheese at home!

Alone with a good bread is delicious; seasoned with oil and chilli – especially in the fresh versions – also. In the kitchen it is excellent for fillings but also for dressing pasta. Wines to match? Barbera d’Asti and Monferrato; Grignolino and Dolcetto d’Asti. As whites, the Gavi DOCG for the fresh and the Loazzolo DOC for the seasoned.

Finally: to celebrate the 40 DOPs of Robiola there is a calendar of events in the Piedmont region throughout 2019, among which the party dedicated to her by her country of origin, Roccaverano, stands out. 29 and 30 June: the XIX Carrettesca Fair – Festival of Robiola di Roccaverano DOP.

Carola Traverso Saibante
March 2019

DISCOVER THE COOKING COURSES OF SALT & PEPE

Tagliolino nero with squid and Soppressata di Calabria DOP – Italian Cuisine

To match the intensity of flavor of one of the most characteristic Italian cured meats with the delicate taste of the calamari? Find out how, in this recipe!

Calabria boasts a centuries-old tradition in the production of salami: the first oral evidence dates back to the Greek colonization of the Ionian coasts, while the first written trace was of the Roman writer Marco Terenzio Varrone in the 1st century BC. We need to wait for 1600 to get the first official documentation regarding the tradition of processing pork, published in the written work Della Calabria Illustrata. What is known with certainty is that the Calabrian salumi count many famous admirers, including the writer and adventurer Giacomo Casanova, who tells of having lunch at the table of the bishop Francescantonio Cavalcanti in Calabria. Here he had the good fortune to taste them and probably also tasted the soppressata, the most prized regional sausage.

The Soppressata di Calabria PDO is obtained from meat destined to ham and fillet, to which is added the lard selected from the front of the loin. The meat and lard are then flavored with black pepper in grains or sweet or spicy red pepper and other natural spices. Then bagged in pork guts, are tied by hand with natural twine and left to age for a minimum of forty-five days.

The Soppressata di Calabria has a characteristic slightly flattened shape. Excellent consumed in purity, its round and spicy flavor also make it an original and unusual ingredient, which can enhance a seafood recipe, such as black noodles with squid, a strong dish of Mediterranean cuisine.

Ingredients

300 g black noodles
150 g clean squid
100 g Soppressata di Calabria PDO
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1 chili pepper
50 g parsley
juice of ½ lemon
1 lemon
Oil, salt and pepper

Method

Blanch the parsley in plenty of salted water, then toss it immediately in cold water and ice.
Squeeze the parsley well and centrifuge with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, in another saucepan boil plenty of salted water and boil the tagliolini.
Sauteuse in a sauteuse to fry the Soppressata di Calabria DOP chopped with your hands in a drop of oil for a few seconds, then add the baby calamari, garlic, pepper and finally when everything will be well sauteed with lemon juice.
Jump again for a few moments and season with the parsley centrifuge previously obtained.
Serve and finish the dish with a scrap of lemon peel.

Gnocchi with tarragon with Tuscan PDO DOP and courgette cream – Italian Cuisine

An original and refined first course, characterized by the delicately peppery aroma of the tarragon and a DOP salami with a strong and unmistakable flavor: the Tuscan Ham.

Round shape, fine grains of black pepper that cover it externally and its identifying traits: the brand in focus consists of the inscription PROSCIUTTO TOSCANO DOP superimposed on the stylized image of the Tuscany region and four stars positioned in an arch at the top right. The Tuscan Prosciutto looks like this and recognizing it is therefore not difficult.

Its origin dates back in time, up to the age of the Etruscans. It is in the fifteenth century, under the Medici government, that its production is regulated with provisions concerning the entire production process. And even today, its processing follows carefully precise and detailed production steps governed by a strict disciplinary.

To those who have not yet had the pleasure of tasting its unmistakable taste we can try to describe it as follows: strong flavor with a right flavor and intense aroma and characteristic due to the use, in the salting phase, of spices, herbs and aromatic essences ( pepper, garlic, bay leaf, rosemary, juniper berries, etc.) typical of the Tuscan territory, both to the traditional methods of production and maturing that distinguish it.
The invitation, however, is to touch with hand, indeed "with palate", this exceptional salami.

Preparation time: 70 minutes
People: 6

Ingredients:

1 kg potatoes
200 g flour
4 spring onions
3 courgettes
1 egg
Grated Parmesan
Garlic
Roasted peanuts
Sliced Tuscan PDO Ham
Drangoncello
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Boil the potatoes with the skin for about 40 ', depending on the size.
Clean the courgettes and separate the green part of the white interior. Cut the white part into cubes and stew it in a pan in a veil of oil with a clove of garlic, on the flame at a minimum for 5 '. Then remove the garlic and whisk all in cream combining a little oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Cut the green part into small cubes and brown them with a little oil for 2-3 minutes with a clove of garlic on the flame.
Coarsely chopped 4 tablespoons of peeled and peeled peanuts.
Drain the potatoes and pass them to a potato masher. Knead it with 1 egg, 200 g of flour, 15 g of minced tarragon and a pinch of salt.
Form the loaves of 2 cm in diameter, cut into chunks 2 cm long and rigateli over the tines of the fork.
Slice the spring onions and stew them in a pan with a drizzle of oil for 4 'with a couple of tablespoons of water.
Boil the gnocchi and drain when they come to the surface, directly in the pan onions; add the diced zucchini green, add salt, add a tablespoon of gnocchi cooking water, stir in 2-3 tablespoons of parmesan and serve with the white courgette cream. Complete with slices of Tuscan Ham PDO and chopped peanuts.