Cheese Wiz

Cheeses of Spain

Cheese in Spanish culture is held in very high regard and is present at most Spanish meals.  In the 1980s the Spanish government began a process of cataloging all of the country’s cheeses. With almost six hundred cheeses found it wasn’t an easy task.  For instance, many of the cheese makers were artisanal producers who sold their cheese only to those who lived in their small communities.  The surveyors’ comparisons came up with around 80 distinct cheese varieties. This gave way to a system of name and origin controlled cheeses in Spain called Denominacion de Origen, or D.O. There are about twenty D.O. cheeses today.  When you see this on the cheese label you know that it is the real thing. It is a strict system that controls the production of the designated cheeses, down to the breed of animals, geographical regions, recipes and sizes of the cheeses, among other things.

Many Americans know Manchego; it was one of the first cheeses from Spain that found its way to American shelves. Even with the D.O. system there are still Manchegos that are better than others. The mass produced co-operative ones are less flavorful then those made in an artisanal fashion.  At The Better Cheddar we really like Dehesa de Los Llanos Manchego Gran Reserva, which is aged for about a year. The Spanish family from whom this cheese originates owns a large piece of property used as a hunting, fishing and farming estate for years. About ten years ago they decided to make Manchego with their herd of sheep.  This is traditional Spanish cheese making at its best. The cheese is nutty and spicy but less salty than other Manchegos. They also do not use different colored dyes or waxes on the rinds of the cheese. It is completely natural with a smattering of gray and white mold.     

For a non-traditional Spanish cheese I really like Flor De Esgueva. This is a good example of a Manchego-style cheese that is not protected by the D.O. label. Esgueva is made in Castile Leon and not Castile La Mancha, disqualifying it as Manchego.  Esgueva is still a very high quality raw sheep’s milk cheese. The one aged for six months is fantastic; it is rubbed with extra virgin olive oil, giving it great flavor. It has a salty bite at first but it finishes buttery and fruity at the same time.       

Try either of these cheeses in a traditional Spanish Chickpea Salad.  You can add any of the great farmers market vegetables you find this summer.

2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3oz Manchego or Esgueva, crumbled or grated

2 hardboiled eggs

3 oz diced Serrano ham

4 Piquillo Peppers Slices

1 clove garlic, minced

2 green onions, chopped

¼ cup parsley, chopped

¼ cup olive oil

1 Tbsp Sherry vinegar

2 Tbsp lemon juice

Any fresh vegetables you like (I like tomatoes, radishes and cucumber)

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Combine all of the ingredients, except for the eggs, in a bowl and toss together. Roughly chop the eggs and sprinkle them on top of the salad.  Serve cold or at room temperature.