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Tag: cheese
Tomato Toasts with Ricotta and Anchovies
Warm bread, creamy ricotta, ripe tomatoes, and a quick garnish of anchovies and fennel seed is a quintessential summer dish.
It is not only beautiful and tasty but is literally perfect at any time of the day. It’s a great breakfast, a perfect quick lunch, or a great start to dinner.
This isn’t quite a “recipe” but more a list of items to put on bread. Make 1, make 10, and adjust accordingly.
It is highly recommended to eat this as many times as possible during tomato season.
Tomato Toasts with Ricotta and Anchovies
Ingredients
- Slices of crusty bread – highly recommend F&F Levain
- Bellweather Farms whole basket ricotta – sheep or cow
- Ripe tomatoes – cut into slices or chunks
- Ortiz anchovies
- Crushed whole fennel seeds
- Herbs, greens, or microgreens
- Olive oil
- Crunchy saly and fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- Drizzle bread slices with olive oil and lightly toast in the oven or in a skillet.
- Spread with a thick layer of ricotta.
- Arrange tomatoes on top.
- Lay anchovies on top of the tomatoes.
- Sprinkle with fennel seeds, crunchy salt, and black pepper.
- Drizzle with olive oil.
- Garnish with greens and serve.
Bijou with Pickled Strawberries
Summer produce is a thing of magic. And pairing with cheese is even more magical.
Many versions of goat cheese are perfect options to pair with fruit, but Vermont Creamery’s Bijou is a great option. These cute little buttons are creamy, sweet, and a touch earthy. They can be kept whole or cut into quarters to plate and serve.
Quickling (a new verb sweeping the nation) the strawberries does not take away from their natural sweetness but adds some tangy depth that pairs perfectly with cheese.
Bijou with Pickled Strawberries
Ingredients
- ½ pint strawberries
- 1 Tbsp sherry vinegar
- Pinch of sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Fresh cracked pepper
- 1 container Vermont Creamery Bijou
- fresh chopped herbs or micro greens
Instructions
- Trim leaves off strawberries. Cut larger ones in half or quarters, leave smaller strawberries whole. Place in a small bowl.
- Add one tablespoon of sherry vinegar, a pinch of sugar and salt, and a few cracks of black pepper. Add a splash of water and toss to coat strawberries. Let quickle for 5-10 minutes.
- Arrange Bijou on a plate. Top with strawberries and top with herbs or micro greens. Drizzle with strawberry liquid.
Mortadella Pasta Salad
“Pasta salad: both pretty boring and the most popular dish at every outdoor gathering you go to, a true mystery of our time.”
Alison Roman
Thank you Alison for that oh-so-true food nugget.
While pasta salad has to be the most ubiquitous summer potluck item, there is much to be improved on the expected curly noodles, black olives, and bottle of Italian dressing pasta salad.
This recipe, brought to you by another great cookbook author Molly Baz, incorporates one of the most underrated meats in the Aperitivo case – mortadella.
You can sub any other thinly sliced cured meat from the case, but morty-d adds a beautiful creamy, fatty, and saltiness to the pasta salad.
This is a perfect salad to make a few days before, add the nuts and herbs before serving, and snack on it the entire day.
Mortadella Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 lbs dried large short cut pasta – rigatoni, cavatappi, whatever the fun shape from the photo is called
- 1 lbs fresh mozz – cow or buffalo
- ½ lbs mortadella – thinly sliced
- ⅔ cup pistachios – chopped
- 1 cup basil leaves – torn
For the dressing:
- 1 ½ cup Castelvetrano olives – about one small container
- 2 lemons
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 ½ oz grated hard Italian cheese – Parm, Pecorino Romano, Toscano, Provolone
- ⅔ cup EVOO
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Boil noodles according to package directions in salted water. Drain and rinse under cold water to wash off the excess starch. Let cool.
Make the dressing:
- Pit the olives and tear the flesh in half. Add to a large bowl.
- Zest one whole lemon into the bowl. Cut both lemons in half and squeeze the juice over the olives.
- Grate the garlic into the bowl. Add the grated cheese.
- Pour in the EVOO, season with salt and pepper, and stir the dressing together.
Assemble the salad:
- Tear the fresh mozz and mortadella into bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl.
- Add the cooled pasta and gently stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and lots of pepper.
- Just before serving, add the chopped pistachios and torn basil leaves.
- Serve cold or room temp.
Ricotta: The Luscious Leftovers
A byproduct of the increased production of rennet-coagulated pecorino type cheeses in Sicily and the Italian peninsula during the first millennium BC was a large amount of sweet whey. What were Sicilian and Apennine shepherds supposed to do with all this leftover whey? Being frugal shepherds, they certainly could not let it go to waste. Based on the number of ceramic “milk boilers” uncovered by archaeologists throughout the Italian peninsula, it appears they adhered to that classic adage: when Fate gives you whey, make ricotta.
Shepherds would pour leftover whey into these ingenious ceramic containers that limited frothing while they brought it to boil over a fire. In fact, this is where this cheese gets its name. In Italian ricotta means “re-cooked.” Once heated, the keratin proteins started to float and clump together into a mush that was then skimmed off the top and poured into little baskets, which drained the cheese of excess water and solidified it further. A few minutes later the shepherd’s family could sit down and enjoy some ricotta right out of the basket.
To this day ricotta is considered one of the primary “peasant” foods in Italy.[1] Since sheep are the primary livestock in Sicily, Sicilian ricotta is typically made out of the leftover whey from Pecorino Siciliano DOP.[2] Many Italians consider this the truest form of ricotta as sheep’s milk is the richest and creamiest of the three main varieties. In Campania—an administrative region in the southwestern part of the Italian peninsula—the Mediterranean buffalo is raised and selectively bred to produce the milk used to make Mozzarella di Bufala DOP. A byproduct of Mozzarella di Bufala, the flavor of Campanian ricotta is butterier and sweeter than its Sicilian cousin. Meanwhile, in the Po Valley and Alpine regions of the north, ricotta is made from the cow’s whey leftover from the production of Gorgonzola DOP, Provolone DOP, or Taleggio DOP.[3]
In the rolling hills of Sonoma County, California, Bellwether Farms is supplementing their variety of sheep’s milk cheeses by purchasing local Jersey cow’s milk to make ricotta. After naturally acidifying for hours in a vat, the cultured cow’s milk is then heated and stirred. Then, at just the right moment, the Bellwether cheesemakers stop stirring to allow the curds to form. The curds are then hand scooped into small, plastic ricotta baskets and allowed to drain naturally under their own weight. In keeping with Italian traditions, Bellwether ricotta is sold in the same basket, which minimizes the disturbance of the curd while maximizing moisture retention. The result is a ricotta with an exceptionally delicate, soft texture; flavors of butter and cream; and a clean finish that you and your family can enjoy right out of the basket.[4]
[1] Paul S. Kindstedt, Cheese and Culture: A History of Cheese and Its Place in Western Civilization (White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2012), 83; Nick D’Errico, “Italian Cheese: Ridiculous Ricotta,” Culture: The Word on Cheese, August 7, 2014, https://culturecheesemag.com/stories/blog/italian-cheese-ridiculous-ricotta/.
[1] DOP is short for Denominazione di origine Protetta (Protected designation of origin), a certification that ensures that a particular food product was made by local farmers and artisans using traditional methods.
[1] D’Errico, “Ridiculous Ricotta.” [1] “Basket Ricotta,” Culture: The Word on Cheese, accessed May 31, 2021, https://culturecheesemag.com/ cheese-library/Ricotta-Bellwether-Farms.
Grain Salad with Feta Dressing
As fresh spring vegetables start to pop up, combine them with some cooked grains and a creamy feta dressing. Add some protein by topping the salad with our newest tinned fish line, Scout Canning Ontario Trout with Dill.
Grain Salad with Feta Dressing
Ingredients
Feta Dressing
- 2 cups mixed tender herbs – basil, cilantro, mint, dill, parsley, tarragon
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 jalapeño – seeds removed to reduce spiciness
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 lemons
- ¾ cup buttermilk or greek yogurt
- 4 oz Feta
- salt
Grain Salad
- 1 cup dried grains – farro, freekeh, barely, bulgar, wild rice
- 1 lbs mixed crunchy spring vegetables – snap peas, cucumbers, radishes, fennel
- 3 scallions
- ⅔ cup pistachios
- 1 can Scout Canning Ontario Trout with Dill
Instructions
Make the dressing:
- In a blender, combine the herbs, garlic clove, jalapeño, olive oil, Feta, the zest of half of a lemon, the juice of 2 whole lemons, and the buttermilk. Blend until smooth and pale green. Season the dressing with salt and transfer to a medium bowl.
Make the salad:
- Cook the grains according to package directions. Place in a large mixing bowl to cool.
- Thinly slice the crunchy vegetables. Add to the bowl with cooled grains.
- Coarsely chop pistachios and thinly slice scallions. Add to the bowl.
- Pour half of the dressing over and stir well to combine, adding more as needed until thoroughly coated. Reserve the remaining dressing for another use. Season the salad with salt.
- Divide among plates. Open the can and flake trout on top of the salad.
Danish with Havarti
Inspiration comes from anywhere these days – the internet, TV shows, overhearing someone misinterpret a menu item.
While shopping at the cheese counter recently, a pair of patrons misunderstood the Danish Havarti on the meltdown as a Cheese Danish with Havarti.
Sadly, they were informed that there were no Havariti danishes behind the counter. But it sparked a thought. Why not make a traditional style cheese Danish, but use Havarti.
That idea spiraled into incorporating some Fra’mani Rosemary Ham and Beau Bien Herbed Red Onion Marmalade. Grabbed some puff pastry on the way home, and ta da! A Danish with Havarti.
Danish with Havarti
Ingredients
- 0.25 – 0.5 lbs piece Danish Havarti
- 0.25 lbs Fra’mani Rosemary Ham, thinly sliced from the counter
- ¼ cup Beau Bien Herbed Red Onion Marmalade
- 1 package all-butter puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp of water
- fresh rosemary or thyme, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Grate the Havarti on the large holes on a box grater.
- Coarsely chop the sliced ham.
- In a small bowl, mix together the shredded Havarti and chopped ham.
- Unfold out the sheets of puff pastry and cut each one into 8 squares. You may need to gently stretch the pastry to get a square shape.
- To make a "kite" shape, start with the corners at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock postitions. Fold the 6 o'clock corner up to the 12 o'clock corner to make a triangle. Cut two slits up from the folded line, towards the 12 o'clock corner, leaving a small section still attached. Unfold the square.
- With the attached corners at the 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock position, grab the 9 o’clock corner and fold it across to the 3 o’clock corner. Reach your fingers through the middle square and grab the 3 o’clock corner and pull it underneath the piece over the top, returning it to the 9 o’clock position. Flatten to create a little pocket in the middle. (See photos below.)
- Spoon a small amount of jam in each cavity. Top with a scoop of the cheese and ham mixture.
- Brush the exposed pastry with egg wash and place in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to firm up.
- Set in the 400F oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the pastry is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Sprinkle with chooped rosemary or thyme.
- Let cool and enjoy.
Cheesy Capocollo Quiche
This extra cheesy, extra meaty quiche screams #brunchgoals.
Using a double cream cheese like Sweet Grass’s Green Hill will add a rich and melty texture to the quiche that oozes out when you slice into it.
Take the opportunity to use whatever veg, meats, and herbs are hanging in your fridge:
- Sliced piquillo peppers and blanched spinach, roasted broccoli, asparagus, peas, roasted sweet potatoes.
- Sliced ham, rotisserie chicken, smoked salmon, or spicy Capocollo from Smoking Goose sliced from the meat counter.
- Basil, dill, parsley, mint, thyme
Cutting the cheese into wedges creates these melty pockets of creamy cheese, but it does take the quiche a bit longer to set. Give the quiche the jiggle test a few times before removing it from the oven. The egg custard should be set and the middle should barely jiggle.
Cheesy Capocollo Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 package premade pie dough
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 Tbsp parsely, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 6 piquillo peppers, thinly sliced
- ½ cup blanched spinach
- 4 oz. Smoking Goose Capocollo, thinly sliced
- 8 oz. Green Hill, cut into 16 wedges
- Microgreens or extra chopped herbs for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a pie pan and allow dough to slump down into the pan. Cut away the excess dough that hangs over the pan and place in the freezer for 10–15 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the freezer and line with parchment paper. Place rice or beans on top of the paper, evenly covering the surface of the crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Carefully pour out the hot rice or beans and use a fork to prick a few holes in the bottom of the crust. Put the crust back in the oven to bake until lightly golden, about another 10–15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a baking sheet.
- To make the egg custard, whisk together eggs, heavy whipping cream, whole milk, chopped herbs, salt, and pepper. Pour into a spouted measuring cup. Set aside.
- Start filling the crust by scattering half of the sliced piquillos and spinach on the bottom of the crust. Arrange the wedges of cheese on top, turning the wedges to face different directions. Nestle slices of Capocollo in between the cheese wedges and top with remaining piquillos and spinach.
- Gently pour the egg custard into the nooks and crannies of the filling.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the egg custard is set, the cheese is melted, and the edges of the Capocollo start to crisp up, about 40-50 minutes.
- Cool for 30 minutes. Sprinkle on microgreens or chopped herbs. Serve warm or at room temp.
Baked Feta, Tomato & ‘Nduja Pasta
While most of us are not TikTok users, we have noticed the food trends that pop up every now and then. The internet has been cooking this Baked Feta Pasta dish non-stop, and we were excited to give it a try.
The idea is that you bake a block of feta in a dish of tomatoes and olive oil. There are many iterations and lots of opinions about this particular dish on the internet, and we appreciated these tips to make the best version of the viral dish.
- Don’t Over Do It On the Pasta
- Short Pasta Is Preferred
- Save Your Pasta Water
- Get Good-Quality Feta
- Don’t be Afraid of the Amount of Oil
- Get Creative with Seasoning
- Don’t Forget to Season with Salt
We used a fun fusilli corti col buco as our noodle, but 8-10 oz. of your favorite short cut pasta will do great.
Pasta water is the secret ingredient in most great pasta dishes. The starchy water helps to bring the sauce together. Just scoop out some water using a coffee cup before you drain the noodles. Bonus points if it’s a cheese-themed cup.
Using a sheep’s milk feta is the best choice for this dish. It is creamy, a bit salty, and not too acidic or sour. Our favorite is the Hidden Springs Feta, coming from Wisconsin.
To add some Aperitivo flair, we threw in some ‘nduja. Because if we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a million times before, ‘nduja makes everything better. If you are looking to keep this recipe vegetarian, opt for some chopped Calabrian peppers or crushed red pepper flakes.
Most recipes call for baking the tomatoes and feta at 400, then broiling or increasing the temperature for the last 10 minutes to achieve some golden color and caramelization. We found that the dish was still able to take on some color without the broiling step. Since the Aperitivo Test Kitchen is now home to a little baby, and the fire alarm is known to go off anytime the oven is above 400, it wasn’t worth the risk. And it still turned out great. If you do not have a sensitive firm alarm or a sleeping baby, go for the broil!
Lastly, tomatoes on the vine make for a great photo, but are by no means necessary to make this dish. Loose tomatoes are the preferred option. 🍅
Jump on the train and make this!
Baked Feta, Tomato, & ‘Nduja Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup EVOO
- .5 lbs Hidden Springs Feta – drained
- 2 oz 'nduja – room temperature
- 10 oz short cut pasta – penne, rigatoni, fusilli
- 1 garlic clove – finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves – chopped
- Salt and pepper
- Flaky sea salt – for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Toss the tomatoes and EVOO with salt and pepper in a medium bowl until well coated. Add tomatoes to a 2-3 qt. baking dish. Smush the 'nduja between your fingers and scatter the pieces around the baking dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until the tomatoes have started to burst and the feta is soft and slightly golden. Increase the heat to 450F, and continue to cook until everything is caramalized, 10 to 15 minutes more.
- While the tomatoes bake, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Just before draining, grab a coffee cup and use it to reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
- After 40-45 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven and add in the chopped garlic. Stir and smush the tomatoes and feta around until a sauce begins to form. Add in the pasta, half of the chopped basil, and a splash of pasta water. Continue to stir until the sauce coats the noodles. Add more water if the sauce becomes too thick.
- Dish up the pasta onto plates, top with remaining chopped basil and flaky salt.
The R.O.B. Dip
This weekend marks one of the biggest food holidays of the year – the Super Bowl.
Whether you could care less about the game, or have been personally victimized by Tom Brady for the last two decades, snacking during the Super Bowl is no doubt, one of the great American pastimes.
You may be wondering, who is ROB and why is this dip named after him. Well, there is no Rob. (besides the lovable Gronk) R.O.B. stands for Ranch, Onion, and Blue Cheese.
This combines all the flavors of Ranch dip, caramelized onion dip, and blue cheese dip. All the best Super Bowl Dips, mixed together into one, glorious spread. Go Team!
We love all the products from Bellwether Farms, and the crème fraîche is no exception. Creamy, tangy, and luscious, it is the perfect upgrade from sour cream.
Gorgonzola Dolce is a very mild and creamy blue cheese from Italy. If your crowd is looking for a more pungent and flavorful blue, feel free to go with something stronger. Opt for a cheese that’s more creamy than dry. The lovely mongers behind the counter will be more than happy to find a great fit for you.
This dip is a bit thick. So if you are looking for a more loose and creamy dip, add some buttermilk to thin out.
Happy dipping and Yay Sports!
The R.O.B. Dip
Ingredients
- 4-8 shallots
- 2 tbsp EVOO
- 5 oz. Bellwether Farms crème fraîche
- .25-.35 lbs Gorgonzola Dolce, room temperature
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
- 2 scallions, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- Veggies, chips, crackers, wings, or your other favorite dippers
Instructions
- Thinly slice the shallots on a mandolin or by hand.
- Heat EVOO in a medium pan and heat on low. Add the sliced shallots, season with salt and pepper and slowly caramelize, 45 minutes – 1 hour. Remove from heat and let cool. Shallots can be caramelized 3 days in advance.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the crème fraîche, mayo, and cooled shallots. Crumble the blue cheese with your fingers and add to the bowl. Add the garlic and onion powder, chopped herbs, salt, and pepper, and mix together. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
- Serve alongside veggies, crackers, or wings, and enjoy!
Mt. Alice Stuffed Dates
We’ve been fans of the von Trapp family and their cheese making since Aperitivo opened its doors. Their washed rind cheese, Oma, has become a menu and cheese case staple. So we were very excited when we heard about a new cheese coming from the family-owned creamery in Vermont.
Mt. Alice is a camembert-style cheese, made with organic jersey cow’s milk. It’s a wonderful bloomy rind cheese with notes of butter, crème fraîche, lemon, and earthy mushroom.
It is always nice to have a simple and easy snack or appetizer in your back pocket when you get a last minute cookout or party invite. Or just to have in the fridge when you need a quick pick-me-up.
You can make them ahead of time and store in the fridge. Just pull them out and roast before serving.
These dates are a great contrast of flavors and textures – chewy dates with some crispy blackened pieces, stuffed with earthy and creamy cheese, drizzled with sweet honey and crunchy salt. Mt. Alice is a great option, but any soft-ripened cheese will work here.
Mt. Alice Stuffed Dates
Ingredients
- 10 Medjool or Turkish dates
- .25 lbs piece Mt. Alice
- Crunchy salt
- Honey
Instructions
- Remove the pits from the dates.
- Slice the cheese into ¼ in. strips, then again into ¼ in. wide pieces, roughly the same size as the date’s pit.
- Stuff the piece of cheese in the cavity where the pit was and squeeze the sides together to partially close.
- Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Place dates in the pan and cook until they start to blister and the cheese begins to melt, 5-8 minutes.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a plate. Drizzle with honey and crunchy salt.
