Parmesan Cheese

This year has been an amazing year for travelling, with visits to Italy and America to see two of my sisters who have made these two very contrasting countries their homes. Of course, aside from family, one of the best things about travelling is the food and both occasions presented me with a chance to indulge and explore in some very memorable traditional and modern dishes. One of the simplest meals that we enjoyed in Italy in a local ‘Osteria’ involved a bottle of red wine, bread, some locally produced salami, chunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and honey, which I’ve enjoyed re-creating many times myself at home.

We also ate plenty of home cooked meals, including pasta with prawns and courgette or zucchini (and plenty of garlic) as well as dining out in modest ‘trattorias’ where we devoured even more home cooked pasta and ‘risotti’ – always graced with perfectly matured Parmigiano-Reggiano. We traveled over 100km to find a renowned pasta shop in the capital of Emilia-Romagna, Bologna called Paolo Atti & Figli and I found myself in paradise taking in all the food markets around the very charismatic cobbled streets. How I wish I had the room in my suitcase to carry home some of the produce that we found – and didn’t eat!

You might also remember that I wrote about attending a Discover the Origin event back in March. There was so much to soak up during the event, including plenty of Tawny Port (!) and I really relished the opportunity of speaking to some of the hugely passionate ambassadors behind the products which form the Discover the Origin campaign, including Bourgogne Wines, Duoro Wines, Port, Parma Ham and Parmigiano-Reggiano – also known by its French name of Parmesan. I’m very exited to have been invited to attend a press trip early next year, hopefully to the Duoro wine region in Portugal and the next time I visit my sister in Italy, I’m going to make sure I save some time for a tour of the area that includes Parma, Reggiano Emilia, Modena and Bologna – on the western bank of Reno River – which is where Parmigiano-Reggiano is exclusively produced.

In the meantime, I also have a short video to share with you that has been produced by Discover the Origin campaign, all about the provenance of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, which is about to form part of a much wider campaign highlighting the unique and varying characteristics of the cheese, including the diversity in ages and tastes.

Buon Appetitio!

With thanks to Discover the Origin for asking me to share this video. This post will be incorporated into an advertising campaign due to run for the next two weeks.

I want to win a week in a Tuscany Villa!

I was recently challenged to create a Tuscan-inspired recipe, which included three key Tuscan ingredients – olive oil, tomatoes and Parmesan cheese.

Tuscany, Tuscany, Tuscany…

I last visited Tuscany around nine years ago, during a visit to my sister, who lives in a small village in the North of Italy. We challenged ourselves to take a cross-country coach trip to the alluring town of Florence and I think it remains the single most memorable daytrip of my life.

We passed through the region of Chianti and I was simply stunned by the beauty of the Tuscan countryside. Since then, it has always been my dream to go back and visit Tuscany.

So, here goes. I have created a recipe called Tuscan-Inspired Sausage, Fennel Seed and Tomato Crostini. I remember eating plenty of crostini and brushetta in Florence, although not with sausage meat though I hope the Italians would approve.

In Tuscany, the flavour of fennel and fennel seeds is common although if you can’t find fennel sausages you could just use the best-quality lean pork sausages you can find and flavour with fennel seeds. Italians often buy good sausages and split them open to use the meat.

Creating Italian recipes is never a chore for me, since I love nothing more than to stop by at my local Italian delicatessen called Buongiorno Italia. Established over 30 years ago, Tony, the owner, is always super keen to recommend fantastic Italian produce as well as some wonderful fresh seasonal produce and the most amazing locally-made gelato.

So, I picked up the three key ingredients – Olive Oil which happens to come from Tuscany called Seggiano – produced by smallholders from the Olivastra olives of Seggiano in Tuscany, Pomidori Pelati Italiani (Italian peeled tomatoes) and of course, the obligatory wedge of Parmesan Cheese.

I also found some Salsiccia Finocchio – Fennel Seed Sausages – made at La Bottega di Ado, some fresh garlic, one white onion, fresh ciabatta and fresh basil.

Tuscan-Inspired Sausage, Fennel Seed and Tomato Crostini

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 small loaf Ciabatta or other country-style bread
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
2 whole garlic cloves, minced or crushed
4 best-quality pork sausages, flavoured with fennel if possible
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
200g Italian peeled plum tomatoes (in a tin)
2 teaspoons tomato puree
50g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
A few springs of fresh basil

Method:

1. Remove the sausages from their casings and put to one side.

2. Put a large frying pan on a medium heat, pour in two tablespoons of olive oil and gently fry the chopped onion. Once it starts to soften, add the garlic and gently fry too for just a few minutes.

3. Add the fennel seeds into the pan and stir then add the sausage meat into the pan, breaking it up with your hands as it goes in. Fry for around 6 minutes on a medium head, until the sausage meat browns and is cooked through. If there if too much fat, you could drain a little off at this stage. Keep stirring the sausage meat to break it up some more and make sure it doesn’t burn or stick.

4. Add the tinned tomatoes and tomato puree and stir well. Sprinkle some of the Parmesan cheese into the pan which will help to bind the sausage meat making it easier for topping the toast.

5. Leave the sausage and tomato mixture to cook gently while your prepare the crostini/bread.

6. Slice your Ciabatta or other bread (I like to cut mine diagonally across the loaf) drizzle with the rest of the olive oil and either place under the grill or in a griddle pan until golden.

7. Top each slice of bread with some of the sausage mixture, a scattering of more Parmesan cheese and some fresh basil leaves.

Enjoy!

Parmesan Cheese

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