PECORINO PICCANTE
Spiced Pecorino Cheese
This is a wonderfully simple appetizer or antipasto for an Italian dinner.
The beauty of this dish is, in fact, its simplicity. The young Pecorino
Sienese cheese that is traditionally used for this dish is not always easy
to find in the US, but it is becoming more common. Don’t use the aged
Pecorino Romano for this, but a few good substitutes would be young
Italian Provolone, Feta and many goats milk cheeses.
Ingredients:
7 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp whole peppercorns
3/4 lb Pecorino Sienese or substitutes cut into 1/2" cubes
6 Tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil
Place fennel seed and peppercorns in a small paper bag and wrap well so that
there's several layers of paper around the spices. Crush spices coarsely with
a mallet or broad sided knife. Don’t run through a grinder or use a food
processor - you want a nice, rough crush.
Combine cheese with spices and oil in a covered bowl and refrigerate over
night. About 30 minutes to an hour before serving, remove from refrigerator,
place in serving dish, and serve, at room temperature, with wooden picks.
Credit: My notes say "Stucchi-Prinetti from Tuscany"
Spiced Pecorino Cheese
This is a wonderfully simple appetizer or antipasto for an Italian dinner.
The beauty of this dish is, in fact, its simplicity. The young Pecorino
Sienese cheese that is traditionally used for this dish is not always easy
to find in the US, but it is becoming more common. Don’t use the aged
Pecorino Romano for this, but a few good substitutes would be young
Italian Provolone, Feta and many goats milk cheeses.
Ingredients:
7 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp whole peppercorns
3/4 lb Pecorino Sienese or substitutes cut into 1/2" cubes
6 Tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil
Place fennel seed and peppercorns in a small paper bag and wrap well so that
there's several layers of paper around the spices. Crush spices coarsely with
a mallet or broad sided knife. Don’t run through a grinder or use a food
processor - you want a nice, rough crush.
Combine cheese with spices and oil in a covered bowl and refrigerate over
night. About 30 minutes to an hour before serving, remove from refrigerator,
place in serving dish, and serve, at room temperature, with wooden picks.
Credit: My notes say "Stucchi-Prinetti from Tuscany"
