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Parmigiano Reggiano  
King of Cheese

No Longer at High Price-Earnings Ratios

 

If you watch Molto Mario’s Food Channel and especially his current and hilarious “Mario Eats Italy” series, you know that Parmigiano Reggiano come from a restricted area around Parma, just North of Tuscany and that “It is the King “. Once you have tasted an unadorned grainy chunk and are intoxicated by its nutlike flavor and aroma, you will understand why. You may even start eating it like candy.

Parmigiano goes back to the beginning of the Christian era. It has been made the same way for 700 years from the milk of cows that graze only in the “typical” area approved by the consortium.  After it is aged well over a year, the unmistakable official stamp with little dots is engraved upon the rind of each wheel. Accept cheese only with that stamp.

 It is the only cheese you should grate over pasta (the less expensive Grana or Romano can be used, but why?). .It is indispensable in the preparation of many Italian dishes and especially the wonderful “Pesto” sauce for which there is a recipe below.

Today, true Parmigiano Reggiano can be found in some markets and food specialty stores at prices that range from about $10 to $20 per pound depending upon the age and the producer.  It continues to improve and age

as you keep it.  Store it in the refrigerator in a Baggie container. If during storage, it dries out, pour water over it and wrap it in paper towels for a couple of days. It will absorb the moisture and will be rejuvenated. Never grate it until it is ready to be used. Under no circumstances confuse it or substitute it with that pre- grated stuff in the green cans or even Aurrichio bulk cheese. You would be better off with sawdust. One of the tests of a good Italian restaurant is whether they are using Reggiano. Ask to see the wheel. Some do use the Grana, which comes from a nearby area and is acceptable but it not Regianno.

Authentic Pesto Recipe

Makes Enough Sauce for six Servings of Pasta

If you are serious, you should immediately buy a few sweet basil plants, (about $1.50 each) and transplant them into outside pots or in the ground where there is a lot of sun. Let them grow for about a month before topping them for use. Otherwise, you may pay $5 or more for the basil needed for a single recipe. The ingredients and preparation are simple.

Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves tightly packed. If in doubt, use more basil.
½ cup olive oil  (extra virgin if possible.)
2 tbls pine nuts (toasted if you like)
2 large cloves garlic lightly crushed and peeled.
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Regianno cheese.
2 tbls Freshly grated Romano pecorino cheese
3 tbls softened butter

1.      Put the basil, olive oil, pine nuts garlic cloves and salt in a food processor and mix at high speed. Stop from time to time to scrape down the ingredients.

2.      When the ingredients are blended, pour them into a bowl and work in the two cheeses. Then blend in the butter. That’s it.  Add a tablespoon of hot water from the pasta just before serving. Pasta is best served when not drenched in sauce. . Pesto is also wonderful over chicken and in soups such as minestrone.