Goat Cheese Galore
This morning the group who stayed yesterday to cook with Pamela would head to the goat farm at Podere il Casale to learn more about the land and how ingredients from the farm were incorporated into the cuisine at the restaurant. We headed off to the where the animals were kept and then migrated into a refrigerated area where all the cheeses were stored. Actually interacting with the animals was a lot of fun. We had the opportunity to see an hour old baby goat and that was pretty incredible. All the other animals were the generic farm animals that you'd see out in the country like donkeys, pigs, and of course the goats. I loved watching the woman who ran the property, Sandra, as she showed us around the area. Her love and passion for this place really showed. Her tender words and eager excitement to see us engage with the animals was lovely. Sandra encouraged us to love on the goats by feeding them leftovers of the organic bread that was left over by customers or bread that she couldn't put on the tables.
After the tour around the farmland, we headed over to where the goat cheeses were stored. This was really interesting because we learned how much work went into maintaining the cheeses and about the process of aging the cheese. There are some interns who work in the kitchen, all the way from Japan, who would come into the area where the cheeses were stored and hand scrub all the fuzz off of the wheels. The scrubbing off of the mold would be done in the mornings every couple of weeks and although that may not sound like a lot there were shelves of cases of cheese! I couldn't imagine having to hand clean each and every wheel.
It was lunch time after we'd walked around the property and gotten an inside look on how the property was maintained. First, we were served small bread slices with a tomato paste and drizzle of olive oil on top alongside a quiche with spinach, cheese, and walnuts inside. The tomato puree kind of reminded me of something you'd get out of a jar so I wasn't overly excited to continue eating it. Thankfully there was just a small dollop served with the crustoni. The quiche on the other hand was fabulous especially with the added component of a hearty crunch from the nuts.
After the appetizers were served, a few plates of fresh salads were brought out to us. I think everyone got pumped when those were set on the table. Having something green with a refreshing crunch was a nice change of pace.
For the main course, we had a homemade pasta in a vegetable sauce with a saffron smear. This reminded me of the same pasta we'd had before, with the sheep ragù and dried figs, but a thinner version. It had a very sophisticated flavor and you got a really good hint of the saffron that was plated. It just tasted expensive and looked as though it would be served at a prestigious restaurant.
Next, we were served a cheese board with a variety of aged pecorino cheese (one that was a mixture of goat and cow milk while the others were aged 30, 60, and 90 days) along with a mild ricotta and a bleu cheese. These were paired with two jams, one cherry and the other an orange marmalade.
Finally, for dessert, we had a panna cotta type dish. It definitely wasn't like the ricotta parfait we'd had here before, but the way it was presented could have fooled you. The texture wasn't as dense and favored the taste and texture of a panna cotta since it was creamy and smooth.
This was the perfect contrast from yesterday's heavy meal. I felt satisfied by what I'd eaten, but I wasn't painfully full. Afterall, dinner would be a treat! We went to La Cantina De La Porta for a wine tasting and a 5 course meal.
