Tomino di Talucco

 

Recently, we went to visit some local cheese makers in Val Lemina, the small valley directly up and over the hill behind Grandubbione, the hamlet at the end of our road.  Valeria and Mauro Gaido very kindly let us join them during their daily ritual of making a soft, ricotta style cheese, called Tomino, a local speciality and favorite.  Tomino can be all cows milk or a combination of cows and goat. 

This day they had about liters of milk from 15 cows and 45 goats. After bringing the milk t a boil the added their coagulating ingredient, allowed to set for the curds and whey to separate. Then they drain off as much whey as they can, which gets fed to the pigs, before dipping up the curds and dispersing then in to their containers to drain in. At one time they used terra cotta pots, but now, by law, those are no longer used. Pity, as I imagine there was something lost with that change.

Tomino is a mild, fresh cheese eaten simply as is, or as an accompainment to polenta, drizzled with hot pepper oil or a few grinds of black pepper on top.  After a few days as the water drains out and the cheese becomes more compact they will then be rolled in black or red pepper and left to dry out, getting a stronger flavor as it ages and in some cases, a wayyyyyy strong flavor. 

I use it as I would ricotta and it becomes a filler for pasta as well as one of my favorite dishes which is as an addition to a rustic torta, often made with spinach. I made the torta with some of this batch of Tomino with a seeded spelt crust and cima di rapa greens along with the tomini to make an outstanding, flavorful torte. Unfortunately, we were too greedily hungry to wait in order to get a photo. Guess I'll just have to make it again, so I can post a recipe for it. In the mean time, you can use my recipe for a spinach ricotta tart to tide you over, as it really is a wonderfully sastifying meal this time of year.

I tried to learn how to use my imovie function on my computer and so this post is much later in coming than expected as learning a new program always takes more time than I think it will. Hope you enjoy this journey into a cheese makers profession.

Tomini Platter

Well now for something besides rain and the weather, although it hasn't completely let up yet, e are at least getting some sunshine sprinkled in with the showers.
This was a platter of local Tomini cheese that our neighbor down the road from us in Grandubbione has been making for at least the past 30 years when her family "retired" to the end of our road with their son and his wife to raise a few cows and goats for cheese with a few chickens and a menagerie of exotic birds and the usual hanger-ons, like the barn cats and herding dogs. Nina makes the best Tomini around. It's a light ricotta type cheese of which she makes two varieties, one, all cows milk and the other a mix of goat and cow's milk. Fresh out of the form, it's silken texture melts in your mouth leaving the most delicate flavor. Sliced into thick rounds, dressed with a generous amount of flavorful oil, fresh herbs, like dill or basil, you'll have the locals favorite. My personal favorite is paired with our anchovy stuffed peperoncini for a nice biting contrast to it's silky smooth mouthfeel.
Or just sliced with the flavorful oil, herbs and pansies on top makes for a delightful offering.