Tag: fontina

the fontina that will save the environment – Italian Cuisine

This is not just cheese. It is a philosophy of life, a millenary tradition, love for one's territory and the desire to protect pastures at all costs.

Fontina from the Valle d'Aosta mountains is linked to well-established places and practices, but there is a Fontina that is located a little higher than usual.

Estrema d'Alpeggio Fontina PDO is defined as "the highest dairy product of excellence in Europe": it is the result of a study initiated in 2016 byARPAV (Association of Alpine Pasture Owners), supervised byInstitut Agricole Régional of the Aosta Valley and born thanks to the funds of Gal Valle d'Aosta. The territories involved are those between 2000 and 2700 meters, called "tsa", and the disciplinary provides more stringent rules than the classic Fontina DOP.

What is the added value?

We discovered it by visiting the pasture of Ollomont, Conca di By of Aurelio Cretier.

The particularity ofExtreme Fontina DOP is that the cows are fed only with pasture grass. A special feature for several reasons. When making Fontina at these altitudes, you cannot rely on vegetation all year round, it is important to follow the cycle of the seasons. That grass is only there at that precise moment and it is essential that the shepherd also has the ability to divide it over the course of the three months, guiding the animals, which return to the earth all the value of a nourishment exclusively based on grass and water, without any kind of supplement. Become a virtuous circle. All this gives the final product softness, creaminess it's a'herbaceous aroma single. And the beauty is that each mountain pasture has its own characteristics depending on the vegetation or exposure.

How does the mountain pasture take place?

It is not only the altitudes that are extreme: there is also the work of all the people involved, from dairyman to the handyman. Their effort is another value to underline.

The pasture begins in late June and lasts until mid-September. Traditionally there are no precise dates, but account is taken of the celebrations of the saints: in the Aosta Valley it starts in San Bernardo and ends in San Michele. About 100 days wake up at 3 in the morning: grazing, milking, cleaning, milk processing, all twice a day, and then the care of the fontina cheese, to be cleaned every day with a solution of water and salt.

And finally, after the hard summer spent on the mountain pastures, we celebrate. On the day of San Michele, on 29 September, a deeply felt traditional event is held: the désarpa, during which the cows return to the valley together with the farmers, thanked and celebrated by all the people along the streets in celebration.

Daniela Fornaciarini, owner of the mountain pasture, perfectly explained to us what all this means. She, who learned to walk right here, at the age of 15 had already decided that her destiny would be to keep and carry on this legacy. Journalist and radio and television producer, Daniela has had different experiences, but then she went back to where her heart was. Because it is necessary to take the responsibility of living these places to safeguard their biodiversity and to ensure the continuity of ancient traditions, leading them towards the future.

Pastures of the producers currently involved

Petitjacque Donato (owner and tenant) – Alpe Plan Vauon – Bionaz (AO);
Cretier Aurelio (conductor) – Alpe By di Farinet – Ollomont (AO) – pasture owned by Daniela Fornaciarini;
Planaz Dino (conductor) – Alpe Cort – Chamois (AO) – pasture owned by the Municipality of Chamois;
Ducols Eliseo and Denis (owner and tenant) – Alpe Pra d’Arc – Saint Rhémy en Bosses (AO).

Soufflé recipe with fontina and mint – Italian Cuisine

Ingredients

170 g milk
70 g more butter a little
70 g fontina
70 g flour
3 egg yolks
2 egg whites
nutmeg
mint
salt

Duration: 1 h

Level: Middle

Dose: 4 people

For the recipe of fontina and mint soufflés, grate the fontina; chop a bunch of mint; melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour, stirring, and cook for 1 '. Bring the milk to a boil, with a pinch of salt and one of nutmeg, then add it to the butter and flour, stir until it boils again, lower the heat and continue cooking for 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the egg yolks and the grated fontina, mix well and let the mixture cool, then add the chopped mint. Beat the egg whites until stiff and incorporate them into the mixture a little at a time, stirring with a whisk. Heat a little butter in a saucepan and brush the inside of 4 ceramic cocottines (ø 8 cm), distributing it from the bottom upwards.

Put the mixture in a pastry bag and distribute it in the cocottine, which must be filled for 3/4. Bake the cocottine in the ventilated oven at 180 ° C for 15 '. Take the soufflés out of the oven and bring them to the table immediately, before they deflate.

Fontina, a cheese that is a health friend (if you do not exaggerate) – Italian Cuisine

Sweet taste, hard paste, intense aroma (a bit like the Gorgonzola), capable of bringing the fields of Valle d'Aosta directly on our tables. La Fontina it is much more than a cheese, it is an expression of a territory, the Valle D'Aosta, of its rich and substantial cuisine.
A real gastronomic specialty, so much to be protected by a Consortium which supervises its production and provides for the marking of the forms conforming to the quality criteria.

A cheese with ancient origins

It seems that its history is very old. As reported by Consortium, the first mention of Fontina dates back to 1477, while the first classification is dated 1887 with "The Fontine of Val d'Aosta"In the yearbook of the Experimental Station of the Lodi dairy. The second classification dates back to the years 30 and 40 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests. Only in 1995, Fontina was conquered, along with 6 other Italian cheeses, by the European Commission Protected Designation of Origin.

Essential ingredient of many preparations

Today the Fontina represents the basis of many typical recipes of Valle D'Aosta, to comic the tasty Fondue, i Gnocchi Alla Bava, as well as the tasty Valdostana steak or the crepes. But it is also perfect to natural, for a nutritious snack or breathtaking delicious appetizers in an evening with friends. But what are its characteristics? And what is the best way to consume it from a nutritional point of view? We deepen these aspects with the doctor Valentina Bolli, dietician.

Values and nutritional properties

Illustrates the Dr. Bolli "La Fontina it is a semi-fat cheese, of varying maturation, with interesting qualities from a food point of view. It provides an excellent supply of vitamin a, (has about 420 micrograms per 100g), important for vision, bone development, teeth growth and immune response. It also contains a good amount of vitamin b2 (0.45 micrograms per 100), which plays a fundamental role in energy processes ". Among the minerals stands out in particular the football (870 milligrams per 100g), essential for bones and teeth. As for the other characteristics, the dietician continues "The proteins are in line with the other cheeses of equivalent curing, about 24.5 grams out of 100. As well as cholesterol, with 82 mg out of 100".

It must be considered a second course or a single dish

It is therefore a cheese that can be consumed like other hard cheeses. Points out Valentina Bolli "The guidelines suggest that the ideal is to add it to the diet once a week, in the amount of 50 g (against 100 g) of fresh cheeses. It must be considered a real second course or a single plate. Perfect for example the pizzoccheri, a balanced mix of proteins, vegetables (verze) and carbohydrates. The use of buckwheat among other things makes this dish also suitable for coeliacs. But also gnocchi alla bava, using 50 g of fontina and 150 g of gnocchi, you get a delicious single dish, rich in taste and well-assorted ".

Elisa Nata
January 2019