Gourmet pairings of meats and cheeses, tasty and surprising.

Meat and cheeses together? In the culinary history and tradition of our country, this is a constant. Let’s take an ancient example that we can still find among the streets and squares of Alberobello or the Murgia: the legendary bombette, precursors of the contemporary world of street food. An ancestral example of street food consumption featuring a product that comes from the fifth quarter of the animal. In practice, sweetbreads twisted around a small piece of fresh mozzarella, crispy and grilled on the characteristic Apulian skewer.

Shall we give another example? What would the Amatriciana or Gricia be without its generously sprinkled Pecorino dop on the pasta and Guanciale? In short, to avoid going too far back in time and to stay on the more modern trends that are also taking over our tradition, what about the boom of the hamburger? How many have been created in Italy in recent years? From the most popular to the gourmet ones (do you know the meaning of the word gourmet?). Even the great starred chefs themselves have not been able to resist proposing and creating more or less eccentric burgers.

Cheese and Cold Cuts Board

Let's start by proposing a small mixed platter of cheeses and cold cuts. Firstly, it would be appropriate for the flavors to somehow combine or balance each other. For example, three sweet cured meats such as Parma DOP, Coppa di Parma, and Pancetta paired on the same board with a goat caciotta, a matured Bufala Brazzadella, and a spoonful of Gorgonzola dolce cream.

If you only offer blue cheeses, like Blu affinato all’Oseleta, Basajo, or Blu Gins, it is better to use cold cuts of medium intensity and fattiness, such as Lardo di Colonnata IGP, somewhat fatty unsalted or garlic and, to finish, a Gola Stagionata 4 months.

Tartare

The tradition of mixing finely chopped meat with eggs and cheese belongs to ancient French recipes that find today great versatility also in modern cuisine. Since the use of raw egg is sometimes a bit tricky to manage, it can be replaced with creamy cheeses or slightly fatty and aged raw milk cheeses. For example, a beautiful tartare of Fassona Piemontese, less intense in flavor but very elegant and fine, can be well combined with a touch of Perlagrigia under ash with truffle, finished with fresh thyme leaves. If, on the other hand, you have meat that is more substantial and intense in flavor, like a finely chopped Chianina IGP steak, you can use a creamy cheese such as Tuma de Paja from Caseificio Di Alta Langa and black pepper.

Salted Meat

The salty meat or carne salada is an ancient method of preserving meat that has remained a culinary tradition to this day, especially in the upper Lake Garda and, in general, in Verona and Trentino Alto Adige. A pleasant way to enjoy salted meat is definitely to eat it raw, dressed with excellent Extra Virgin Olive Oil that is slightly or moderately fruity and then slice thin pieces of Parmesan Reggiano DOP 36 months, from the pure white breed, from Caseificio Valserena. An intense yet very refined flavor for a dish that seeks in the freshness of aromas and balance all its goodness.

Delightful Skewer

Try making a delightful skewer to start a succulent and traditional lunch in the best way. Cut a slice of guanciale at a thickness of at least 1-2 mm and place it in a baking dish to crisp it up without making it too rigid. At this point, dry the slice of guanciale by placing it on baking paper and then place a piece of Toma Blu burricata with herbs from La Casearia Carpenedo on top. Roll up the guanciale and secure it with a toothpick. Enjoy while warm and freshly prepared. You will find the contrasting sensations of hot-cold and creamy-crispy particularly captivating and curious.

Hamburger and Blu 61

Let's revisit a beautiful recipe proposed by a chef from Treviso. Take a meat hamburger with a particularly strong flavor, like, for example, Romagnola breed, cook it well on a baking tray trying to choose the best cooking method. About a minute before it’s done, take the hamburger and place it in a baking dish, adding a piece of Blu 61 cheese from La Casearia Carpenedo, reserving the cranberries on the side. At this point, leave it in the oven at 100°C for about two minutes until the cheese has completely melted. Remove the hamburger and serve on a plate with some crispy lettuce. Finally, don’t forget to take the cranberries back and garnish your dish.

Bernardo Pasquali