Making Fresh Tomini Cheese at Home

Super fresh Tomini Cheese

Tomini Cheese, in this part of Piemonte, Italy, means a soft fresh cheese that looks a lot like miniature ricotta cheese. Looking up Tomini in the large Piedmont chapter of our Slow Food book on Italian cheeses, Tomini is referred to as Tomini di Talucco, which happens to be the valley just on the other side of our on hillside, and it refers to it as pure goats cheese. It also states that the territory of origin comes from not only Talucco, but Grandubbione, which is where our road deadends  5 km further up the road from our house. It is the only Tomino listed in book which covers ever single region of Italy. So this type of cheese really is from our neighborhood. 

Here the Tomino is eaten in it's fresh state after a day of settling and letting the water drain out, it is salted top and bottom. Tradition is also to mature the cheese after it has firmed up by dusting them with some black or red pepper, or domestic or wild thyme and then place it in a earthenware vessel called an "ule", or glass jars, till it is ripened to the cheese makers taste. My mother in law loves to ripen them till they are quite aromatic.

Earthenware "ule" for ripening tomini cheeses, missing its lid

Ripened Tomini using black pepper and hot red pepper

So in our part of northern Italy Tomini was made completely with whole goat milk, although with changing times and palates you will find it also made with half goat and half cows milk or an all cows milk variety for those that like the style of cheese but not so fond of goat milk. I love goat cheese, so I'm a fan of the original, but not opposed to the other varieties. They are all delicious.

There is also a variety of Tomini that is sometimes called dry Tomini that has been innoculate to form a white crust similar to brie cheese. Most cheese makers here call this type of cheese Pagliarine. It's a great cheese, but to me it tastes nothing like the Tomini type that is typical to here. 

Dry Tomini or what most cheese makers here call Pagliarine

I've seen a variety of cheese makers work their their magic and thought why not give it a go at home since it seems relatively easy and I have access to fresh unpasteurized milk from what I like to call our mechanical cow over in Pinerolo.   It's great because it still has the cream on top once it sits and it truly is delicious. It's our very own local milk without the milking. 

Fresh unpasteurized milk, €1 per liter

We have a lot of cheesemakers in our valleys and a long history of being famous for our cheeses. Its been said that General Hannibal, of the elephant fame, crossed the Alps around 3through our valleys because it was not only the quickest way to cross, but it was an opportunity to try and nourish his dwindling number of men on our Alpine dairy products, most notably cheese. 

A few years back we went to a Tomini cheese making demonstration in Talucco at Agriturismo Pinareul Arios, which just happens to be cousins in the extended way that people are related when your family has lived in the neighborhood for many generations. They still make their Tomini over a wood fired stove and it all done by hand within the family. They also operate a charming dining room that features their delicious genuine home grown and made food and is famous, not only for their Tomini, but for also their Fritto Misto alla Piemontese , an extravaganza of all sorts of savory and sweet fried foods. It's a popular indulgence in these parts and they do it well.

Hand produced Tomini di Talucco at Pinareul Arios

We also take guests up our Chisone valley to Vento Grigio Farm for a demonstration of milking and Tomino making complete with a light picnic lunch outdoors with a fabulous view of the Chisone valley and a change to have a go at milking a goat if you want to. Naturally we get to sample some of Cesare's pure goat cheese Tomino and you won't be disappointed. 

Milking Goats at Vento Grigio

So now you can try and make some at home, as it isn't difficult, you just need some good quality whole milk, cows or goat, a large stainless steel cooking pot (needs to hold at least 5 quarts liquid), some rennet for producing the curds, something to hold the curds  and shape the cheese while allowing the water or whey to drain out. 

There are proper forms that you can find from cheese making suppliers or some cheese cloth lining a strainer or colander that you could use  while you decide if this is something you might make more than once in a blue moon. 

Tomino making steps

Tomino Cheese 

12 approximately cheeses, depending on how well you fill them

Equipment:

1 - 5 liter cook pot, stainless steel best

Cooking thermometer

5 cm x 4-5 cm (2inch x 1.75 inch) round cheese form for draining cheese in (strainer lined with cheese cloth will work) 

Ingredients:

4 liters ( 4 quarts) whole milk, best if unpasteurized, but can make it with pasteurized milk

2 grams per liter (8 g = 1.6 tsp ) caglio ( rennet or vegetable rennet) 

Method:

If the milk has been refrigerated, let the milk set out to bring it to room temperature before heating. 

Place ambient temperature milk (37*C /  98.6*F)  in the large pot. 

Slowly raise the temperature of the milk to at least 75*C (167*F) that will pasteurize the milk. 

The milk can go as high as 85*C (185*F) 

According to some cheese makers, bringing the milk to 75*C-85*C (167*F-186*F)  pasteurizes the milk but leaves some good bacteria that adds flavor and nutrition. 

If you heat the milk all the way to 90*C (194*F) it sterilizes the milk. 

Once the milk reaches the desired temperature hold the milk there for at least 5 minutes.  

My pots hold the heat quite well, so I turned the heat off and kept the thermometer in the milk to make sure the heat didn't dip below the 75* mark until after the 5 minutes. Descriptions of making Tomini states the milk needs to go to 85*C, but cheese makers seem to have varying opinions on this point. It seems to be their twist on making the Tomino recipe their own.

Allow the milk to cool down in the cooking pot to 38* (194*F). 

While the milk is cooling measure out your caglio (rennet) and have it ready to add immediately at 38*C (195*F) 

The temperature can drop quickly so keep a close eye on the temperature of the milk.

Add the caglio (rennet) and stir throughly to distribute the rennet. Cover the pot with a lid and allow to cool undisturbed for at least 40 minutes - 2 hours.  You can raise the lid to peak in just don't stir or move the pot gently if needed so as not to disturb the milk curds. I did the 40 minutes one time and it didn't seem to be enough time for mine to set properly, so now I just go with the 2 hour timing. 

Once you let it cool down you will find that the milk has softly solidified and pulled away from the sides of the pan. There will be a clearish whey formed between the cheese and the pot. 

Take a long handled spoon or metal spatula and start by making a long cut through the top to the bottom of the curd and draw a line horizontally toward you. Lift the spatula out make the same motion horizontally across the curd to form the blessing of the cross. 

Then gently cut the curds up the same way throughout the whole of the pan until the curds form and the whey begins to be throughout the whole pot. Let the curd set for a few minties and then either scoop up the curds with your form or fill the forms gently lifting the curds and pouring then into the draining forms. Fill a few forms and keep going back to refill, as the curds will give a lot of whey even after sitting. 

**Do not let the cheeses sit in the drained whey because it is bitter from the rennet and will give an off flavor to the cheese. There are draining trays here for helping with that problem, but even with those you must keep watching them for a few hours as they will give off whey for a couple of days. After the first few hours the amount will slow down, but be very vigilant with making sure the cheese does not rest for very long in the whey. 

They can be eaten after a couple of hours, but will be quite soft. I would let the others sit at least over night if you can before unmolding them to stand on their own. If desired, you can sprinkle a bit of salt on the top and bottom of the individual cheeses, but not everyone does that. Many people here prefer them with out the salt to taste the freshness os the milk. its a bit like unsalted and salted butter. They both have their place. You can always salt them to taste when eating. 

The cheeses will last several days to a week ot so depending on your salting or not and how you hold them. I keep the nin the refrigerator unless I am going to salt them and dry them with a bit of pepper or herbs. After a day or two of air drying you can then put them in the jars or earthenware jar. They will get strong tasting after a week or so and you can ripen them to taste. Usually for us, they never get that far, as we will have eaten them with tomatoes, and a drizzle of good olive oil or hot pepper oil, a few cranks of fresh cracked pepper for a delicate fresh cheese that you made yourself. 

Do enjoy.

Fresh Tomini cheese with a parsley garnish

*The whey is good as an addition to bread and some types of baked goods. It has also been used in making home made soap. You will find that many animals will enjoy the rennet also, but not all. 

French Border Sunrise View

It's been a wonderful holiday period here in Val Chisone. We have had a variety of guests, visitors and weather, all washed down with copious amounts of food and drink. I still have rooms to clean and loads of laundry to catch up on, so I think I'll leave you with a sunrise shot of our view of the lower Chisone valley and French border, before I get back into the groove of blogging along about life in our slice of Italy. Thanks for all the messages and good wishes. I will return shortly!

It's beginning to look a lot like winter!

We are starting to have a real bona fide winter here in Val Chisone. The prediction by my father in law that the natural indicators, such as an abundance of walnuts and other folksy type of farmer's almanac wisdom seems to be on the money. Since I have lived here, which is only the last 6 years, we have had early winter dumps of snow, but they usually melted right off as it was too warm to sustain the snow. This year all the conditions are right for this to stick around for the winter. To be honest I don't mind, having come from Colorado high country and use to a long winter season, it's always been some what of a winter tease here at our house. I enjoy winter activities if I can make sure to get out and enjoy them, as opposed to just the never ending prospect of shoveling as a winter discipline. I much prefer, Alpine and Nordic skiing as well as snow shoeing and ice skating, although it's been quite a long time since I slid around on that slippery unforgiving surface. Naturally, further up the road at the ski areas, Prali, Pragelato, and Sestriere, they usually have enough white stuff to keep everybody happy. In fact Prali opened 2 weekends ago and
Sestriere of the Via Lattea, opened this weekend.
Both areas are fun and varied and I do love the buzz that a ski resort has first thing in the morning when the anticipation for powder or simply sliding down the white stuff again is palpable.
Believe me when I say that Prali, is a well kept secret.
Especially when the name of the ski area is Nuova 13 Laghi

This small ski area is everything I like about small areas. Usually, not too crowded, high above tree line with spectacular views of pristine alps, most of them are in protected parks and enough varied skiing to keep me happy. The top to bottom run is a long thigh burner. Have a look at the runs here on their map. I do love this area summer and winter, especially when the price is so right! Winter lift tickets will run you 15€ mid week, when they open full time closer to Christmas and 20€ weekends and holidays, with a 12€ late risers rate that starts at 12:30pm. Summertime they have the main lift open in July -August and weekends in September, for a mere 8€ to get you up and back if you like, with ease to enjoy that high country "Heidi" feel without so much effort. Save it for getting up to where the Genepy grow.

Of course, if you need a break or if not of the ski inclination, there is a mid mountain house that you can get to with a single lift ticket up and down, that affords you a fabulous panoramic view. Enjoy with Italian style hot chocolate so thick you need a spoon to shovel it in or a vin brulé and enjoy catching up on your knitting or favorite book. You can of course wander around in the small village of Ghigo, at the bottom that has a few shops and several bars and plenty of dry walk ways, roads or set Nordic tracks to keep you from sampling too many vin brulé.

Oh well, I need to baking the bread that is about to overflow the bowl that it is rising in and think about strapping my rock skis on a it bit later on. Maybe I'll add some cookies to the game plan as well.

Thankful

Make a Smilebox greeting

Vespas and Insalata di Fagiolini e Farro

Nothing says Italy to me more than sporty little scooters that zip around Italy's cities and make a mockery of traffic rules(but as they say here, Italian driving laws are only "suggestions" after all) as they wend their way around the twisty narrow streets and alleyways, than the classic Vespa scooter.
Last weekend we had a slight invasion of around 20 classic restored Vespa, their drivers and support vehicle, who arrived in dribs and drabs, next door for a bit of refreshment before ending up at the end of our road in Grandubbione to have a bit of fun and camaraderie. I must say they seemed a bit out of place , but I think our tree lined mountain road with all of it's twists and hairpin turns is probably much more enjoyable than weaving through traffic, in say Florence or Nice any day. A couple of them stayed with us as they didn't fancy camping out on the lawn of the baita that was their headquarters for the weekend. This is the second appearance of the French Vintage Vespa Club, Scooter Club du Sud- Est to wind their way up our road after traveling from Avignon, France up and over the alps, roughly taking about 6 hours to get here. They arrived one Saturday afternoon a couple of years ago,also, somewhat en masse, as they numbered about 20. It got my attention as I could hear them coming up for quite a ways down and I wasn't quite sure exactly what was coming up the road. This year they were a bit more strung out in their arrival. One of our club members scooter had broken down along the way, so he was hitching a ride with his friend and grateful for their support van along that picked him up and got him to the party.

Not exactly "Roman Holiday" but perhaps maybe Vespas's gone wild.

So to keep up with the fast crowd and when you have better things to do than slave away in the kitchen you might consider making a hearty green bean salad with cooked farro or barley in a refreshing vinaigrette. Farro or Spelt is a nutty chewy addition to this salad and is easily replaced by barley if you have trouble finding it. This recipe should get you out the door pretty quick and would be a good addition to any picnic, cook out or potluck spread. Make it a complete meal somewhat in the tradition of a Salad Nicoise by adding tuna and hard boiled eggs. The vinaigrette is is an approximation as I don't always make it the same and sometimes if adding the tuna and eggs at the end I will make a bit more vinaigrette to drizzle over it just before serving.

Insalata di Fagiolini e Farro

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb (700 g) green beans, slim tender ones if possible
1/3-cup farro, (60 g) cooked with a bay leaf and some dried herbs
Black Olives 1/3 cup or so
Tomato wedges and rounds, I use a couple of varieties for interest

Vinaigrette:
1/2c Olive oil
2 TB Balsamic vinegar, I used an aged one so it's quite syrupy
3-4Tb Herbal vinegar you can use just one or the other, but I like the blend
1/2 small Red onion
1 small garlic clove, minced or grated into the liquid
a few leaves Basil or mint, fresh, sliced long, substitute sage when there isn't any basil to be had
a few fresh Parsley leaves, chopped
Salt & pepper
1-2 generous tsp Brown mustard, I like grainy when I have it

Optional items
Tuna, a small can drained
2-Hard-boiled eggs sliced into wedges


Method

Wash the green beans and clip off the tips of each ends, leaving the beans whole.

Drop the beans into a pot of water, that has been salted and brought to a boil.
Cook briefly to retain color and texture.

Rinse your farro and bring it to a boil separately, with some salt and maybe a bay leaf or other herbs for more flavor
I usually use some oregano and thyme. Right now I have a lot of fresh herbs so I might tie a few stalks of oregano, marjoram, bay and thyme and toss it in while the farro boils. Usually it only takes 10-15 minutes if you have pearled farro. If you have whole farro them you might consider putting it in the pressure cooker to get it cooked faster.

Make your vinaigrette while the beans and grain cook.
In a bowl large enough to hold all of your beans and grain and be able to stir.

Start with a tsp of salt in the bottom of your bow. Whisk in your mustard, them the vinegars, and slowly add your oil as you continue whisking.
Add your olives
Add your fresh herbs.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
Reserve maybe 1/3 cup of the dressing to dress just before serving.
Toss the bean in, stirring to coat and then the grain.
Let set for a few hours to develop your flavors.
You can refrigerate till ready to serve, but try to bring it to room temperature before serving for the flavors to come out.
Check your seasonings again and adjust if necessary.
Arrange on a platter or individual plates.
Garnish the top with the tuna and surround the sides and bottom with your tomato and egg wedges.
Drizzle some dressing on top of the tuna, tomato and eggs and serve.

Open "Olympia" Room!

OK, maybe it doesn't look like much to you, showcased by my limited photographic capabilities, but believe me it is a very exciting and satisfying time at Bella Baita. Fabrizio has literally transformed our "disco" into the "Olympia" room at last. Tearing out, ripping, shredding, drilling, insulating, plastering ceilings, raising local massively heavy wood beams, laying pipes, tile, stones, electrical, lights and painting it all by his lonesome, are just a few of his winter time idle time ventures. Fabrizio, the working machine wonder, worked like a man driven with an internal clock ticking the doomsday deadline. He met the May challenge, ready to cook, eat and enjoy.

He made it and we are using it.

We have maximized our modest means to get this big ole dinosaur whipped up into a much more usable space for our guests and cooking classes and other future offerings simmering on the back burner. We still need a variety of furnishings, appliances and wish list items, but we have moved from darkness to light, warmth and space to spread our wings, or well, ahem, at least all of our stuff! We're using what we have been given and leftovers from the "La Baita" era and we're grateful to have them. Now we'll have some time to work in the space and have a better idea of what are true needs are as we go along.

We did inaugurate the space with meals, cooking classes and general "hanging out", not a moment too soon, as the weather hasn't always been cooperative, as mercurial as springtime in the alps can be. If you are interested in our Cooking Together Classes and some photos of other guests adventures click here too. Here are some photos of the past couple of weeks goings on. I hope to get to some recipes and regular posting again now that we're starting to settle into the space, but we're still doing quite a few km back and forth between our flat and the "Olympia" room as we shuttle our utensils and supplies to and fro. Keeps it interesting.

First a spin around the market

Finishing off with coffee and pastries before the hard work starts later

Pasta fun

with new friends and family

The beginnings of cinghiale filled agnolotti

and ricotta and stinging nettle ravioli

"La Dolce Vita" class to comfort the sweetest toothed guests

Marie didn't know where to begin the sampling,
but she worked her way round pretty quick

as the rest of us did too

Thanks for stopping by
See you soon

Goodbye 2006 Winter Olympics, again, Hello Remodel time

Two year ago this past week the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics came to a close. The significance for Fabrizio and myself was that it was the culmination of our goal to return to his families home and restart a business. Fabrizio's parents had come to Serre Marchetto in the early 60's, bought a piece of property close to where Fabrizio's maternal grandfather grew up and built their "La Baita". With help from both sides of their families, they created a life that housed and fed them and a good portion of this valley and folks from Torino who heard that they served up great mountain specialties. Like most "Baite"( rustic mountain houses), wild game atop polenta, bagna caüda, risotto, salami, Toma and Tomini cheeses were served up to the delight of all, by the sheer will and resourcefulness of this extended family. When they arrived from the bottom of the hill literally, the road to the end of the historically popular footpath to Grandubbione was just getting started. They commenced serving food with no phone for making reservations, electricity generated by their own NAFTA generator that pumped the water up from the nearby stream. They were pioneers and worked hard to create a life in the mountains that supported them and created a welcome stop for a days outing to the mountains or a atmospheric spot for a special occasion celebrated with friends. Over the years they added on rooms and a dining hall with a disco on top to make those weddings and new years occasions a full package to look forward to.
Fast forward a number of years and time passes, tastes change and dreams transmute.Fabrizio and I meet and decide to return to the family home which has seen his parents retire to the hunting and gathering so dear to their hearts and tending the family garden. We decided to make the rooms into a bed and breakfast next to the restaurant which continues on with others who are young and energetic for running a restaurant. When we arrived we proceeded to start sprucing up the building and rooms and hung out the proverbial sign, open for business. Piedmont, Torino, and our Italian alps aren't as well known as our more famous neighbors like Tuscany, Milano and the Lake district or the Dolomites, but that was to change. The 2006 Torino Winter Olympics (photo album here ) and Paralympics put us on the map. Have a look at our signed Olympic flag that we'll feature somewhere when we're done. My website for Bella Baita brought us all manner of English speakers from all over the world looking for rooms for the games. When we saw the need for facilitating people finding places to stay we helped everyone that we could find somewhere that suited them to house them closer to the event or their family member, many whom qualified close to the start of the games. We met a lot of folks on line and then finally in person when they arrived for the games. It was an exciting few weeks during the events. Even the months before with all the preparations and scurrying about we did, facilitating the various stays and managing endless details that came up over the course of many months prior kept us riding a wave of excitement. My blog was born out of this period of time with a desire to use some of the writing I had done during the course of correspondence with others trying to find their way around, in a mostly unknown area and a desire to try and bolster the visibility of our B&B business. I also realized that there wasn't much information about this area singing it's charms prior to the Olympics and Paralympics. I have worked steadily to put us on the radar ever since. We are enthusiastic to promote our area and all the myriad of things to experience of which food and drink are a well known part of the equation to our guests both near and abroad through our commitment to creating interesting cooking and wine courses and other possibilities percolating behind the scenes. We created an association in order to do just that , called TEM, Touristic Ecosotenible Montana, or Sustainable Mountain Tourism. Now with our association, we are able to grow this side of the business and expand into different areas of developing various business opportunities for this area. We have had a great response to our small custom classes, that has grown along with our business. We work with a number of small producers and aritsans , so we hope to expand on creating more opportunities for all.
Whilst the Olympics were on we used the "disco" room for our grand central head quarters and meal room always with the desire to transform it into a more functional multi purpose room.

Now since two days after our New Years guests left after January 6th, Fabrizio with a little help from his father and friends has been on mission. Remodel the "disco " into the Olympia room by May has been his mantra. This a driven man who is putting in almost 12 hours every day to make this happen, almost single handed! We're living with a lot more than the usual dust these days as the project migrates over with every trip in and out of the "Olympia" room to here. It's starting to take shape and everyone is starting to be excited. After much ripping and shredding, and his father more than once mumbling something about "spending his whole life building this up only to have Fabrizio tear it all down", the huge wood beams are up and the wooden slats are covering the massive insulation job done just prior to the beams going up. Progress is being made. The once dark disco is starting to reflect some light and the remodel theory is starting to take a bit of shape and reality. Both of his parents are looking a little happier these days, and Momma is singing again, which is a sure sign of approval. That is what is shaking here at Bella Baita and the "BB View" is clearing up too so I can carry on with writing about things going on around the area and with us. I'll keep on with a recipe or two to keep some of you interested and me committed to writing down my scraps of paper into coherent legible recipes that others might use who haven't a clue what my kitchen short hand is all about. Now where is my recipe for.......

A few remodel photos....

Our beams come from the Germansca valley from whence our BB view looks into.
We ordered them from our friends sawmill down the road in San Germano.
They prepared and delivered them to our door.

Then and Now

Beams in place and now we're making progress.
Stay tuned as the transformation continues.

Tanti Auguri.... many wishes for all of you....

The view from Bella Baita has been peaceful and wintery. I wish all of you my readers and those of you just stopping by, to enjoy the holidays and stop by again for what's going on in a small part of the north western Italian Alps. We have friends and guests arriving so I may be a bit slow about getting back in gear, but will resume randomly and definitely in the new year!

Warm wishes.......from the bella view from our baita.