Cheese Profile - Pecorino Romano

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

The name literally means Roman (romano) Sheep (pecora), a famous and historic Italian cheese. This cheese was a staple of the legionaries and was made according to the same recipe used today. Popular in pasta, it's sadly overlooked for harmonious wine pairing and elegant cheese plates.

Type: Sheep

Taste: Very nutty flavor, with a definite sheepiness to it. The cheese has a strong salty flavor in the back as well. The texture is granular but gives way to melting in your mouth a bit.

Serve With: This cheese is perfect when finely grated over lightly sauteed vegetables. Some freshly cooked pasta, with olive oil, minced garlic, chili flakes and sheep's milk peccorino romano is is a wonderful. Add some fresh greens and maybe some shrimp or clams for a simple easy meal. For wine, dry reds or even a strong dry white wine would pair well for the intense salty flavor. Stick to Italian wines to help keep with country of origin.Photos by Elise Bauer

7 comments:

  1. Just a little correction, though I'm guessing it was a typo: pecora = sheep in Italian. I personally enjoy pecorino far more than Parmigiano-Reggiano :-).

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  2. Beautiful photos! The second almost looks like the cheese is made of soft, grainy, snow. Yum!

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  3. Hi, I'm 'tagging' you for a MeMe. I hope you'll play along. I've noted some people keep to a food theme and some do not.
    Catherine at www.munchie-musings.blogstpot.com

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  4. I lean more towards the pecorino as well, it sharper and has more bite to it.

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  5. My favorite of all time...the best way to eat it for me is as we would have for breakfast every morning when I was in Italy. With some crusty bread, fresh tomatoes, and prosciutto. Mmmmmmmm!

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  6. Okay that's not fair. Your Picorino looks a hell of a lot prettier than anything they offer in my store. I bet it tastes better too. *sniff* ;)

    I just need to start going to actual cheese shops

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Hey, you're leaving a comment! That's pretty darn cool, so thanks. If you have any questions or have found an error on the site or with a recipe, please e-mail me and I will reply as soon as possible.
~Garrett

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