WE’RE BULLISH ABOUT SHEEP…

…but not just any sheep.

We’re crushing on Sarda sheep, the lovely ovine ladies living the luxe life of Italy’s gemstone island, Sardinia (Sardegna in Italian).

What they produce is the extraordinary milk that makes the extraordinary Pecorino D.O.P (Denominazione d’Origine Protetta, or Protected Designation of Origin) cheese.

D.O.P.* is Italy’s version of France’s Appellation Controlee for wine: It denotes that the product can only be made in certain areas with specific terrain requirements.

The designation is a guarantee of cultural heritage and exceptional quality. You’ll find the best of it under the imprint of 3 Pecorini (#3pecorinicheeses).

A delicious recipe and the history of Pecorino cheese are below.
 
 
SARDA SHEEP PRODUCE GREAT MILK & CHEESE

Sarda sheep (photo #4) graze on herbs and shrubs and breathe the clean Mediterranean air of Sardinia’s valleys and mountains.

Their farmers and herders have inherited centuries of ancient techniques that have proved ideal for cheesemaking, resulting in unmistakable flavor (from mellow to tangy) and long-term storage capacity.

Trying to describe the multi-level flavor profile of sheep’s milk cheese depends on the changes that occur as it ages. Always, however, you’ll note an edge and complexity (experts call it “sheepiness”) that non-sheep milk cheeses miss out on.

If you grate heaps of fresh Parmesan onto your pasta, you’ll get fabulous flavor, but you won’t get that fascinating little tipping point gives Pecorino cheese its unique qualities.

Most pecorino cheeses are classified as grana and are granular, hard and sharply flavored.
 
 
HOW ENJOY PECORINO CHEESE

Look for Pecorino Sardo marked D.O.P. at a quality cheese store or counter. The label should state how long the cheese has been aged.

Taste-test the different ages of the cheese for comparison. The sharpness depends on the period of maturation, which varies:

 
There is also a P.D.O. Pecorino Toscano produced in Tuscany, that was not part of this tasting. Here’s more about it.
 
How We Enjoy It

 
 
RECIPE: BAKED ZITI WITH ASPARAGUS AND FIORE SARDO

Fiori Sardo is the finest Pecorino, but substitute Pecorino Romano if you can’t find it.

Prep time is 25 minutes, cook time is 20-25 minutes.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

________________

†The prosciutto will be salty, so use caution when adding salt to taste.
________________

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F.

2. PARBOIL the asparagus in a pot of salted water. Test the asparagus for doneness, but do not overcook (it should be slightly firm to the bite). Drain the asparagus, but save the water it was cooked in. Cut the asparagus into bite-size pieces and set aside.

3. HEAT the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and brown the prosciutto. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, but not browned.

4. ADD a small amount of water to the pan, lower the heat, and cook about 10 minutes. Add the asparagus pieces. Stir and season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. COMBINE the ricotta, bechamel, and the Fiore Sardo in a medium bowl. Stir in the asparagus and prosciutto mixture.

6. COOK the ziti in the reserved asparagus water until al dente. Remove to a large bowl with a slotted spoon and add the ricotta and bechamel mixture. Toss well until all of the ingredients are combined.

7. POUR the mixture into a buttered baking dish, dot the top with butter, and add some additional grated Fiore Sardo. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes, or until mixture is bubbling.
 
For The Bechamel Sauce

 
Preparation

1. MELT the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, stirring until you have a smooth white paste.

2. COOK, whisking constantly until mixture is very pale yellow (watch carefully so as not to overcook the flour). Carefully add the hot milk a little at a time, whisking constantly until mixture is smooth and creamy.

3. STIR in the nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste.

— Rowann Gilman

 
THE HISTORY OF PECORINO ROMANO CHEESE

Thanks to the Consortium for the Protection of Pecorino Romano Cheese for this history.

Few cheeses in the world have such ancient origins as Pecorino Romano.

For more than 2000 years, the flocks of sheep that graze freely in the countryside of Lazio and Sardinia have produced the milk from which the cheese is made.

A cheese variety of what might be considered the earliest form of today’s Pecorino Romano was first created in the countryside around Rome.

Its method of production being described by Latin authors such as Varro and Pliny the Elder about 2,000 years ago [source].

The ancient Romans were fans of Pecorino Romano. It was prized at banquets in the imperial palaces, and its long-term storage capacity made it a staple food for rations when the Roman legions marched.

Pecorino Romano was so much in use among the Romans that a daily ration of 27 grams was established for the Legionaries, as a supplement to their bread and farro soup.

The cheese was produced in Latium (modern Lazio), the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded, until 1884.

]
[1] Wheels of Pecorino Sardo and Pecorino Dolce (photos #1 to #7 and 10 © 3 Pecorini | Sopexa).

[2] Fiore Sardo Pecorino, the most aged and treasured by connoisseurs.

[3] Pecorino Romano with its protective wax coating removed.

[4] Fiore Sardo Pecorino, the most aged and treasured by connoisseurs.

[5] A simple cheese board (photo © Lydia Lee).

[6] Serve Pecorino Dolce with beer, cocktails and wine (photo © Lydia Lee).

[7] Pecorino is a favorite with pasta. See the recipe at the left.

[8] Fava Bean, Mint, and Pecorino Romano Bruschetta. Here’s the recipe from Martha Stewart (photo © Martha Stewart).

[9] Skillet-roasted Brussels sprouts with Pecorino. Here’s the recipe from Splendid Table (photo © Splendid Table).

Today, the cheese is produced exclusively from the milk of sheep raised on the plains of Lazio and in Sardinia. Most of the cheese is produced on Sardinia.

Per D.O.C. law, Pecorino Romano must be made with lamb rennet from animals raised in the same production area. Thus, is not suitable for vegetarians.
 
 
Comments From Homer & Columella

The processing of sheep’s milk was described by Homer (born sometime between the 12th and 8th centuries B.C.E.) It was codified in the following centuries. Columella (4 C.E. to 70 C.E.), a prominent Roman writer on agriculture, gives a detailed description in his “De re rustica”:

“…the milk is generally curdled using lamb’s or kid’s rennet….The milking bucket, when it has been filled with milk, should be kept at a medium heat. Do not let it come near sources of fire…rather keep it well away from fire, and as soon as the liquid is curdled, it should be transferred into baskets or moulds. In fact it is essential that the whey can drain immediately and be separated from the solid matter…. Then when the solid part is removed from the baskets or moulds, it should be placed in a cool, dark place so that it does not go off, on tables as clean as possible, and sprinkled with ground salt so that it can sweat.”
 
 
>>> CHEESE GLOSSARY: THE DIFFERENCE TYPES OF CHEESE <<<
 
 
>>> THE HISTORY OF CHEESE <<<
 
 
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*D.O.P., Denominazione d’Origine Protetta is the Italian certification of authenticity of origin. Some other countries in the European Union also use D.O.P. now, including Portugal. See also A.O.C. and D.O.

________________

[10] The three Pecorini from Sardinia: (photo © 3Pecorini).
  

[1 & 2] (photos © Vicia Restaurant | St. Louis).

[3] Serve ice cream in a quenelle shape for more sophistication. Here’s how to make it (photo © Lauren V. Haas | Breadhitz).

[4] A few fresh mint leaves add a colorful note to monotone dishes (photo © Good Eggs).

Some people fall in love with photos on dating sites.

We fall in love with cuisine on the websites of restaurants nationwide.

We long to visit St. Louis, for example, to dine at Vicia Restaurant.

Just about every photo on their website, Facebook page` and Instagram makes us want to drool.

Some of them are enough within our skill set to create copycats. We share this one with you.

Vicia describes this dessert as chocolate shortbread, burnt honey caramel, lemon verbena cream and cocoa nib ice cream.
 
 
RECIPE: RECIPE: CHOCOLATE COOKIES & CAKE WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS

Ingredients

Vicia makes everything from scratch. Our homage is half made, half bought.

When we couldn’t make it or buy it, we substituted it.

We don’t know what Vicia called this recipe, so the name is our own creation. Many thanks to the inspired chefs at Vicia.

 
Ingredient Cream Tips

 
Preparation

1. CRUMBLE the cookies and tear the cake into large, bite-size pieces. Place them in a shallow bowl or on a plate.

2. ADD the small scoops of pudding at intervals, as shown in the photo.

3. ADD the ice cream, followed by the whipped cream. Add herbs and serve immediately.

March is National Sauce Month. Here’s the finale to our three-part review of international sauce options that will shower new flavors upon your everyday chicken, fish and other main courses.

Thanks again to Flavor & The Menu, a resource for restaurant chefs nationwide, offers 12 global sauces for you to try.

They range from mild to spicy—and of course, you control the level of heat in your own kitchen.

Some are thin like marinade, others are pastes that can be thinned with broth, oil or water.
 
THE 12 SAUCES

 
 
9. SAVORY CARAMEL

Of the 12 flavors in this article, savory caramel was the newest concept to us. We’ve always known caramel as a very sweet dessert sauce or candy.

But there’s more than one kind of caramel, we discovered, depending on how long it is cooked and how much sugar is added.

In fact, salted caramel, which has become a standard sauce and candy flavor over the last decade, has led to the fusion of savory Asian caramel: both miso caramel and soy caramel.

Adding umami flavor to the savory caramel, both of these can be used in savory preparations as a dip, glaze and sauce.

They can be added to sweet preparations as well—cookies, cakes and other desserts—to add a toasty, nutty flavor.

An addition you might like in your savory caramel: chile heat.

Flavor & The Menu spotted these preparations:

 
Here’s more about using savory caramel.

And try this Savory Citrus-Caramel Sauce recipe.
 
 
10. TAHINI

Familiar to every hummus lover, tahini, made from toasted, ground sesame seeds, is moving beyond hummus and other Eastern Mediterranean dishes.

Tahini is plant-based and nut-free, making it attractive to use in these trending cuisines. Think creatively, and use tahini like these chefs do:

 
We’ve also spotted:

 
You can even drizzle tahini on avocado toast!

Beyond hummus: Check out these 18 modern recipes with tahini.
 
 
11. TAMARIND SAUCE

The tamarind tree produces pod-like fruit that contains a brown, edible pulp used in cuisines around the world (photo # 11b).

Its flavors are pungent, sour and sweet: a complex layering with an exotic touch. Tamarind paste is used broadly, in beverages, chutneys, curries, dips, rice dishes, stews and more.

Cooking tip: Tamarind paste is and often combined with dried fruits to achieve a sweet-sour tang.

In the U.S., tamarind is most frequently found in Indian and Thai cuisines.

Tamarind sauce, made from tamarind paste* is being used by U.S. chefs here as a high-impact ingredient for global mash-up versions of applications like glazes for chicken wings or ribs, drizzles for tacos and sauces for seafood dishes.

Flavor & The Menu spotted:

 
 
12. YOGURT-BASED SAUCES

And now, the conclusion to our 12-sauce global adventure.

Yogurt-based sauces have been common in the U.S. for decades: in Greek, Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines, and more recently into vegetarian preparations and cuisine moderne.

Think of tzatziki and raita, two simple-to-make, low-calorie sauces and dips.

Yogurt-based sauces was included in the article because Flavor & The Menu noticed an increase of preparations by chefs nationwide.

Chefs are putting new spins on classic yogurt sauces, adding heat with sriracha or harissa, adding heat and smoke with chipotle or guajillo chiles.

They’ve found dishes like:

 
The message is that you can mix just about any condiment into yogurt to make a sauce, from sweet or savory chutney to fruit, mustard, relish and any herb or spice you like.

Just look in your fridge or pantry for inspiration.
 
 
________________

*Tamarind sauce is typically a blend of tamarind pulp or paste with fresh ginger, garlic, sugar, sambal, Thai fish sauce and soy sauce.

[9a] Chicken drumsticks with savory caramel glaze. Here’s the recipe from Bon Appetit (photo © Bon Appetit).

[9b] Candy Pork, Vietnamese-style with savory caramel. Here’s the recipe from Epicurious (photo © Epicurious).

[10a] Chicken Fingers With Tahini Dipping Sauce. You can use the sauce to dip anything, including French fries. Here’s the recipe from Cooking Light (photo © Hector Manuel Sanchez | Cooking Light).

[10b] Tahini-Carrot Soup With Pistachios. Here’s the recipe from Cooking Light (photo © Cooking Light).

[11a] Tamarind grilled shrimp. Use the sauce as a glaze and a dipping sauce (photo © Maya Kaimal).

[11b] Tamarind pods (photo © The Indian Vegan).

[12] Bluefin tuna crudo with cucumber and spicy candied walnuts, accented with yogurt mint sauce, from Chef Adrianne (photo © Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant & Bar).

[1] It may be familiar, but a stalk of celery can be an inspiration (photo © Good Eggs).

[2] Celery salad tops a piece of grilled fish (photo © King Restaurant | New York City).

[3] A Japanese take on raw celery sticks. Here’s the recipe from Bon Appetit (photo © Bon Appétit).

[4] Celery Caesar Salad. Here’s the recipe, which includes both celery and celeriac, also called celery root, photo #6 (photo © Alex Lau | Bon Appétit).

[5] Golden or self-blanching celery is an old English variety, tastier and milder than the classic American Pascal green celery and the flesh is tender without strings. You can buy the seeds (photo © R. H. Shumway).

[6] Celeriac, celery root, doesn’t look like celery, but they are closely related (photo © Good Eggs).

March is National Celery Month and April is National Fresh Celery Month.

Below:

> The history of celery.

> The two types of stalk celery.

> The year’s 7 celery holidays.
 
 
WAYS TO USE CELERY

When you think of celery—most of us don’t spend much time on it—you likely think of “the usual”:

 
Here are more ways to enjoy the chewy green stalks:

 
Don’t throw away the leaves! They taste like a spicier, stronger version of the stalks.

 
Check out these 35 celery recipes from Bon Appetit.

FOOD TRIVIA: The whole head of celery is also called a bunch or a stalk. The individual pieces are called ribs, although there is confusion with some professionals referring to the individual ribs as stalks.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CELERY

Celery is a marshland plant that has been cultivated as a vegetable since antiquity. Believed to have originated in the Mediterranean basin, it has a long fibrous stalk that tapers into leaves.

Ancient literature documents that celery, or a similar plant, was cultivated for medicinal purposes before 850 B.C.E. Woven garlands of wild celery have been found in early Egyptian tombs.

Celery is a member of the Apiaceae family, commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family. Common celery is Apium graveolens.

In ancient times, Ayurvedic physicians used celery seed to treat quite a few conditions: arthritis, colds, digestion, flu, liver and spleen ailments, even water retention.

Celery was considered a holy plant in classical Greece, and was used to crown the winners of the Nemean Games, similar to the use of bay leaf crown at the Olympic Games.

The Romans valued celery more for cooking than for religion.

Early stalk celery often produced hollow stalks. The plant was bred over many centuries, and by the 17th century, Italian farmers had created a variety with solid stalks that we know today.

Breeding also eliminated the plant’s natural bitterness and strong flavors.
 
 
THE TWO TYPES OF CELERY

There are two types of stalk celery varieties: self-blanching or yellow (photo #4), and green or Pascal celery (photo #7), the type typically found in the U.S.

Blanching is the process of covering the growing celery stalks to reduce bitterness and lighten the stalk color to a pale yellow-green. Blanching also produces a sweeter celery stalk.

Thus, golden celery is called “self-blanching” because it naturally produces pale, cream-colored stalks without the need for covering the head with earth (“earthing up”), which is typically required for other varieties to achieve a pale stalk and less bitter taste.

Plus, it’s easier to grow, especially in smaller gardens. In Europe and the rest of the world, self-blanching varieties are preferred.

In North America, green Pascal stalk celery is preferred. It is grown in a wide variety of zones, ships well, can be stored for weeks under cold conditions, and stands straight.
 
Celery seeds—actually very small fruits—are used as a spice, either as whole seeds or ground. The ground seeds are mixed with salt to produce celery salt.

The seeds provide a valuable essential oil that is used in the perfume industry.

Is celeriac related to celery? Yes: very closely!

Celeriac, a knobby root vegetable also known as celery root, is a sibling of stalk celery: Apium graveolens var. rapaceum. While it’s found at French restaurants and other fine restaurants in the U.S., it hasn’t caught on in a big way.

Celeriac is very popular in Europe, where it is eaten cooked or raw.

Currently, California harvests about 23,500 acres of celery per year, Florida harvests 3,500, Michigan 3,000 acres, and Texas 1,200 acres.

California harvests year-round, Florida harvest from December to May, Texas from December to April, Michigan through September. Per capita consumption of celery is about 9 to 10 pounds per person annually.

Source: California Celery Research Advisory Board.
 

[7] Pascal celery, the most common type grown in the U.S. (photo © Good Eggs).
 
 
THE YEAR’S 7 CELERY HOLIDAYS

 
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*We include these days to reference recipes that require celery (for Chicken Wing Day, that would be Buffalo wings).

Gumbo requires the “Holy Trinity” of Cajun/Creole cuisine, a base ofs diced celery, onions, and green bell peppers. It is also essential in jambalaya and étouffée. The French mirepoix differs slightly, with the substitution of carrots for the bell peppers.
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

February 29th occurs only once every four years: It’s the leap year day.

There are actually two food holidays on Leap Day:

 
We love Surf & Turf. In addition to the classic Surf and Turf, we’ve created a list of modern approaches to “one from the land, one from the sea.”
 

 
There’s even Surf & Turf Poutine, Surf & Turf Fondue and a Surf & Turf Cocktail.
 
Today, it’s frog’s legs.
 
 
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT FROG’S LEGS

Frog’s legs are one of the better-known delicacies of French and Chinese cuisine.

Other area keen on the delicacy include Albania, the Alentejo region of Portugal, Cambodia, Indonesia, Northern Italy, Northwestern Greece, Romania, Spain, Slovenia, Thailand, the Southern U.S. and Vietnam.

Frog legs are rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, and potassium. But what do they taste like?

“They taste like chicken,” the cliché used to describe the flavor of an unusual food.

Frogs legs have mild flavor and a texture most similar to chicken wings. Some have called the taste and texture of frog meat a cross between chicken and fish.

In fact, only the upper joint of the hind leg is served in the dish, which has a bone similar to the joint of a chicken wing (photo #1).

Frog legs are a traditional item on classic French cuisine menus, where they are prepared with butter, garlic and sometimes parsley sauce and served only with salad or steamed rice.

The dish is popular in French speaking parts of Louisiana, particularly the Cajun areas of Southern Louisiana as well as New Orleans.

 
 
MOST OF OUR FROGS’ LEGS ARE IMPORTED

Frog legs were also introduced to the U.S. in the 1880s by a gourmet chef in New Orleans, Donat Pucheu.

He sold juicy bullfrogs to New Orleans restaurants. The delectable dishes became popular immediately in the French speaking parts of Louisiana: not just New Orleans but also the Cajun areas of Southern Louisiana.

The sales of frog’s legs attracted the Weill Brothers from France, who started a lucrative business exporting frogs from Rayne, Louisiana in Acadia Parish, to restaurants in Louisiana and beyond.

Rayne became known as the capital of frog’s legs. For years, world-renowned restaurants like Sardi’s in New York boasted of offering frog legs from Rayne, Louisiana [source].

Today, our frog’s legs come from abroad.

As of 2014, the world’s largest exporter of edible frogs was Indonesia. Japan is another large exporter of commercially farmed frog’s legs.

In Brazil, the Caribbean and Mexico and the Caribbean, many frogs are still caught wild as opposed to farms [source].

But harvesting wild frogs has its share of environmental impact:

Bangladesh at one time supplied most of the frogs-legs consumed in the U.S. But the Bangladesh government discovered that its fly and mosquito populations increased drastically, with fewer frogs to eat them.

It was more expensive to control the flies with insecticides, so they banned the export of frogs.
 
 
HOW TO SERVE FROG’S LEGS

Serve them as you would any fish dish:

 
You can:

 
Then, you can celebrate both Leap Day holidays in one dish.

[1] Raw frog’s legs (photo © Euro USA).

[2] The most popular casual preparation: simply grilled frog’s legs (photo © Anagoria | Wikipedia).

[3] Frog’s legs “drumettes” (photo © Chef David Burke).

[4] A beautiful preparation by the gourmet chefs at The Chef’s Garden (photo © The Chef’s Garden).

There would be no need for February 29th if Earth’s orbit took exactly 365 days. But the solar year is actually 365.2422 days. Thus at the 365-day mark, Earth hasn’t quite circled all the way back to its starting point.

If this discrepancy were to go unheeded, after three centuries January 1st would occur in autumn; after six centuries, it would occur in the summer (source).

By the 1st century B.C.E., when the Roman calendar had slipped a full two months out of alignment with the seasons.

So in 46 B.C.E., Emperor Julius Caesar instituted a new calendar (called the Julian calendar) that added a leap day to February once every four years.

It was a good start, but not a perfect solution. The Julian calendar produced years that average 365.25 days long. By the 16th century, the error had added up to a 10-day discrepancy.

So Pope Gregory XIII replaced the Julian calendar with the Gregorian calendar, which solved the problem by adding an extra day every four years.