Mature pecorino
Mature pecorino is sheep’s-milk cheese with a firm paste suited to grating or shaving. For frascarelli, choose a plain, savory wedge and grate it finely over the hot tomato and pancetta topping.
- Milk
- Choose a sheep’s-milk pecorino for this ingredient.
- Texture
- Firm enough to grate; the paste can be ivory to straw-yellow.
- Kitchen use
- Grated over first courses or cut into thin shavings.
Curds, salt and time
Milk is coagulated with rennet, the curd is broken and placed in molds to drain, and the cheese is salted before maturing. The curd treatment and aging vary between cheeses. Some rinds receive surface treatments, so check the label before including any rind in food.
A family of sheep’s-milk cheeses
Pecorino belongs to Italy’s sheep’s-milk cheesemaking traditions. Mature versions range from compact, semi-hard cheeses to drier, harder wheels. Their color, saltiness and intensity change with the milk, the make and the time spent maturing. The word stagionato covers cheeses with different maturation times. A producer’s stated age and the firmness of the cut face help distinguish a piece for slicing from one that grates cleanly.
Grate onto the finished dish
For frascarelli, grate the cheese finely and scatter it over the tomato and pancetta topping just before serving. A firm wedge also gives clean shavings for other first courses. Use the amount in the recipe: a particularly salty cheese can change the balance of a dish.
Look at the cut face
Ask for a plain mature pecorino suitable for grating, and check the milk and place of production on the label. Choose the firmness the recipe needs, rather than a fresh, yielding cheese. For a protected named variety, check its full name separately; the word pecorino alone does not identify that variety.
Follow the wedge’s storage instructions
Keep the cheese refrigerated as directed on its packaging. Protect the cut face from drying and keep the piece covered between uses. Follow the maker’s instructions after opening. Remove any rind marked non-edible before grating.
