Have you ever noticed? Cheeses from Southern Italy are generally not large in size, and Puglia is no exception. The reasons for this can be traced back to geographical factors. Often arid and rugged, rocky and karstic, Puglia traditionally does not have vast meadows where cows can graze freely (unlike the Italian Alpine regions). Instead, it is a steep and barren land (think of the Murgia, the high rocky coasts covered with Mediterranean scrub), more suitable for the agile hooves of goats and sheep.
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And, take note, goats and sheep tend to produce small to medium-sized cheeses: ricottas, caprinos, pecorinos, which rarely reach the sizes of the large cow's milk cheeses of Northern Italy (just think, for example, of Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano, whose wheels weigh over 30 kg).
Another common denominator of cheeses from Southern Italy - especially when thinking of Campania and Puglia - is the use of the pasta filata (stretched curd) technique, typical of mozzarellas, scamorzas, and caciocavallos. The reasons for this, according to Maria Sarnataro from ONAF, the national association of cheese tasters, are also historical and climatic. For the mozzarella dough to be stretched, i.e., to become plastic, elastic, and stretchable, it needs an acidic curd (curd is the intermediate step in milk production, in which the milk coagulates when rennet is added). The naturally warm temperatures of Southern Italy, in an era when refrigerators did not yet exist, ensured that the milk fermented and acidified naturally, creating a curd that, once heated to high temperatures, stretched naturally. Like hot play dough, it could be shaped, braided, pinched, and shaped by the expert hands of the cheesemaker into the forms of eggs, spheres, elongated pears, and braids: the shapes of mozzarella.
In this month's newsletter, I want to tell you about some must-try Apulia cheeses, giving you some tips on how to pair them and cook with them.
RICOTTA
First of all, let's say that ricotta is not a cheese but is more correctly called a dairy product. Technically, it is produced by recooking the whey that is released from the curd (ri - cotta, cooked twice). This whey, cooked in large cauldrons, condenses into flakes that rise to the surface. Once collected with a skimmer, they are then placed to drain inside molds. Ricotta in Puglia is produced daily, alongside cheese production. It is always an emotion to buy it directly from the dairy or on the farm, warm and fragrant with cow's milk or sheep's milk, with a more buttery texture. I eat it for breakfast with fruit and honey or melt it with a bit of pasta cooking water and dress fusilli with a generous sprinkle of lemon zest and pepper (the recipe is here). In my cooking classes, I use it to make a fresh fruit cheesecake, in this case with cherries (you can find the recipe further down in the newsletter).
PRIMOSALE
Although it is a must in appetizers served in Apulian trattorie and agriturismo, the cheese primosale (or giuncata, another name it is known by, referring to the woven reed basket in which this cheese was once placed), does not enjoy the popularity it deserves. Light and fresh, delicate and compact, with an unmistakable ivory white color, it can be made from goat's or cow's milk. It is a cheese that is produced and sold immediately, after just a few hours. I eat it as it is, with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a few flakes of salt. It pairs perfectly with a beautiful tomato and basil salad, perhaps with a few arugula leaves, and is perfect for filling savory pies due to its compact yet soft structure. I suggest it to you a few lines below, in baked stuffed zucchini flowers.
MOZZARELLA DI GIOIA DEL COLLE PDO
Until 2019, the only mozzarella that could boast the EU's PDO label was Buffalo Mozzarella from Campania. But the determination of the cheesemakers of Gioia del Colle ensured that this special mozzarella, traditionally produced with the whey-starter technique (siero innesto), was recognized at the European level. As I wrote a few lines above, mozzarella dough needs an acidic curd to stretch. While at an industrial level, the curd is acidified with the addition of citric acid, artisanal dairies use a natural starter, derived from the previous day's mozzarella production, naturally rich in lactic ferments. To draw a comparison with bread-making, we could say that whey-starter is the sourdough of mozzarella, giving it a more intense, slightly tangy, pleasant, and complex flavor. The Mozzarella di Gioia del Colle PDO, white and compact, made from cow's milk that must graze outdoors for at least 150 days a year, is produced in the dairies around Gioia del Colle, Noci, and Putignano (Murgia Barese and Tarantina). It is the queen of aperitivo, and to appreciate its unique taste, it should be eaten pure, paired with a glass of Apulian rosé, perhaps Primitivo di Gioia del Colle in purity.
BURRATA DI ANDRIA PGI
The history of burrata intertwines with the Italian art of not wasting food. In Puglia, mozzarella is produced daily, so we are used to eating it fresh. But what to do with the mozzarella from the previous day, no longer as fragrant? In the early 1900s, an ingenious solution was developed in the countryside of Andria. The mozzarella was shredded and added to cream to make it more delicious, giving birth to stracciatella, which, thanks to its creamy and enveloping flavor, was an immediate success. Stracciatella, with its semi-liquid consistency, was inconvenient to transport. Hence the brilliant idea of wrapping it in a pouch of stretched curd, practical and capable of protecting a melting heart of milk. From the 1950s to today, the rest is history, and now burrata is produced all over the world. When you are in Puglia, you can try Burrata di Andria PGI, recognizable by the Consorzio Burrata di Andria mark and the blue EU label. (Read here the difference between the PDO and PGI labels).
Burrata, thanks to the cream it contains, goes well with both delicately flavored foods (it is not uncommon to find it paired, especially in new-wave Apulian recipes, with fish, from shrimp tartare to octopus) and with other, more intense flavors. So, it works very well as a topping on focaccia or pasta (in Bari, it is often paired with burnt and very spicy "spaghetti all'assassina").
CACIOCAVALLO PODOLICO FROM GARGANO
Although Puglia is not traditionally cattle country, we have an exception: the Podolica cow of Gargano, which grazes wild in the forests of the Umbra Forest in the province of Foggia. With its gray coat and long horns, it produces little milk but with intense aromas reminiscent of the Mediterranean herbs, and unique caciocavallos are made from it, which Slow Food has included in its presidia list, rare and excellent products at risk of extinction. With a pear shape, topped with a round head, caciocavallo is also a stretched curd cheese. We could say it is aged mozzarella, passed in a solution of water and salt and then aged for 3 months up to 3 years. During this time, the lactic aromas increase in complexity, with notes of dried and toasted fruit, giving the caciocavallo a umami and spicy taste, even more complex if aged in a cave. The most traditional way to taste it? Hung (impiccato)! The cheese is hung a few centimeters away from the embers. The heat melts it, giving it an unmistakable scent of coals and smoked butter. Thus, the caciocavallo is ready to be spread on a nice slice of Monte Sant'Angelo bread.
What is your experience with Apulian cheese?
Oven-Baked Stuffed Zucchini Flowers
Ingredients for 2:
6 zucchini flowers
200 g primosale cheese
3 anchovy fillets in oil
EVO oil
salt
pepper
fresh mint
Time: 20 minutes
Gently clean the zucchini flowers, removing the pistil without breaking them.
Cut the cheese into 6 equal rectangular pieces.
Divide the anchovy fillets in half.
Fill each flower with a piece of cheese, 1/2 anchovy fillet, and a mint leaf.
Place the stuffed zucchini flowers on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Brush them lightly with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of freshly ground pepper. Add salt only if needed (anchovy fillets are already salted).
Bake in the oven at 200°C (392°F) for 5-7 minutes and serve immediately, hot or at most warm.
Amaretto and Ricotta Cheesecake with Cherries
Ingredients for 2:
2-4 amaretti (almond cookies)
8-10 cherries
150 g fresh ricotta
2 tablespoons of sugar
Apulian vincotto (or, as alternative, a few drops of balsamic vinegar cream)
Zest of one lemon
Mint leaves for garnish
Crumble the amaretti in a mortar or gently with your hands. Transfer them into 2 glasses.
Wash the cherries, remove the pits, and cut them into small pieces. Set aside.
In a bowl, mix the ricotta with the powdered sugar.
Assemble the cheesecake by adding the cherries on top of the amaretti, then cover with the ricotta, dividing it equally between the two glasses.
Drizzle the vincotto over the ricotta, garnish with some cherries, a few mint leaves, and a grating of lemon zest, if desired.
Enjoy!
Grazie per la conoscenza così approfondita e le ricette molto particolari. Non vedo l'ora di provarli!
Wow! Thank you Flavia! So interesting and tasty!