In honor of National Cheese Day, we’ve made a list of our favorite ways to use one of our favorite dairy products.
Cheese. Cheese will bring us together. Cheese plates, slices of provolone on a sandwish, snowy mountains of grated parmigiano, ooey gooey baked brie, and sweet fresh mozzarella with basil and balsamic vinaigrette all bring people together for delight and satisfaction.
Below we review three Italian cheeses that can be used every day, and we share some delectable preparations for them.
Our sincerest apologies go out to the lactose intolerant.
Ricotta
There are as many varieties of this slightly sweet and creamy fresh cheese as there are types of cheese itself. It comes saltata (salted), affumicata (smoked), and forte (super soft and a little spicy-tangy). It’s made from the whey of cow, sheep, goat or water buffalo milk.
Not only is it tasty, it’s incredibly versatile. Ricotta can be used in sweet and savory dishes. We love to use it in traditional Italian dishes like manicotti, crostata di ricotta or just pair it with fruit or veggies in a tart.
Stracchino
Another fresh and creamy cheese, stracchino doesn’t get a lot of attention in the States. It holds the texture of the more popular marscapone and a mild, delicate flavor reminiscent of mozzarella.
It’s perfect to spread on crostini with crushed walnuts and local honey or melted on flatbread with Doris’ own Italian sausage and your favorite veggies.
Parmigiano Reggiano
Singer John Legend once won Christmas by giving his wife Chrissy Tiegen a giant wheel of parmesan cheese–and that’s when they both won us over. There is nothing like having parmigiano reggiano clinging to hot pasta (and nothing will impress your guests more than giving them that show).
There are over 3 million wheels of parmigiano reggiano each year, which is about how long it takes to age this cheese beloved the world over. It’s distinct flavor and aroma adds a perfect complement to pasta, pizza, salads and more.
It’s been produced since the 13th century in the regions of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and parts of the provinces of Mantua and Bologna. By Italian law, only cheeses produced in these regions have the right to claim the label “Parmigiano Reggiano.”
We love it in risotto, with Italian charcuterie, and as a simple preparation with pasta and butter.
The list of cheeses we love could go on for days, but we’d rather get to cooking (and eating) it. How about you?
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