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First off let’s discuss sheep’s milk.
Delicious and rich, cheese made from sheep’s milk can be mild and fruity, aged and sharp and even a little bit gamey and salty sometimes. French, Basque and Spanish sheep’s milk cheese tend towards the fruity, while Italian sheep’s milk cheeses can be mild to very salty and sharp.
Most North Americans are less knowledgeable about sheep’s milk, as we don’t have a huge history of raising sheep for milk on this continent. Honestly I think lots of people don’t realize that it tastes totally different from goat's milk, and it does. In the store we often have people ask us “Sheep’s milk? Well I already have a goat cheese, isn’t that the same thing?” No it’s not, not at all! I LOVE sheep cheese, and on the other hand – goat cheeses are not at all my favourites. Sheep’s milk has very little of that “barnyard” taste that goat cheeses tends to have. So now that we have discussed our barn yard animal knowledge, let’s get on with the cheese.
There are a wide variety of styles of pecorino made; the word itself just describes any Italian sheep cheese. Pecorino Pepato is just one of the pecorinos we love, but it is definitely the best seller in our store. It is an aged sheep’s milk cheese studded with whole peppercorns. The cheese is made in a largish wheel (12 kilos) and come from Sicily or Sardinia. It is a rustic style of cheese with big, bold flavours that really wake up your palate.
That’s the simple description, but this cheese is so much more! It is sharp and has that little something extra that the scattering of peppercorns adds, and it’s great for many things. For example, it’s excellent as a table cheese, or as an addition to a cheese plate. It pairs well with red and white wines equally, especially younger big style reds and spicier, lean whites. It is an awesome substitute for Parmigiano Reggiano if you want to switch up your pasta or risotto. It grates really well over pretty much anything and it is also good chunked up on salad, or over barbequed asparagus or eggplant. I like to use a carrot peeler to slice big curls of it onto a salad, because, of course, there is nothing you can make for dinner that won’t be improved by cheese!
