I always grate my own Parmigiano Cheese. Nothing can compare with the flavor. The pregrated products, you know, "The Green Can", are garbage. Also, domestic "Parmesan" cheeses are a far cry from the sumptuous complexity of the real thing. Did you know that you can use the entire chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano that you buy? After you have grated the inner portion over all of your favorite pastas, you can also use the rind! Save it, don't throw it away. Store it in a plastic bag in your freezer until you are ready to use it. It packs a powerful flavor punch. Add it to soups or stews. A hearty Minestrone is made even better by the addition of one or two cheese rinds. Just add them, and let them become part of the soup. I must confess that I have been known to fish them out and just eat them! Probably kind of gross from a caloric point of view, but just delicious. The rind has an incredible texture after cooking for a couple of hours. Try it! You can also use the rinds of your other favorite Italian Hard Cheeses, such as Grana Padano. It's a great way to really get your money's worth.
5 comments:
I always use the real thing too, the pre-grated stuff is just nasty!
I didn't know you could use the rinds though, thanks for the tip.
IT'S SO AMAZING THAT YOU USE YOUR RINDS FROM REGGIANO. I STARTED DOING THIS BY ACCIDENT. I FIGURED IF THE CHEESE WAS SO AMAZING, WHY WASTE THE REST. IT IMPARTED A TASTE THAT NO WOULD KNOW, IT DID NOT LEAVE THE STICKINESS WHEN COOKING WITH CHEESE AND AT TODAYS PRICES, IT IS A PRICELESS WAY TO ENHANCE THE FLAVOR OF ALL MY FAVORITE DISHES. I MUST CONFESS THAT I, TOO, LOVE EATING THE RIND AFTER IT HAS BASKED IN THE FLAVORS OF MY DISH. THANKS DENNIS, KEEP SHARING YOUR WISDOM. COOKING IS AN EMOTIONAL HIGH WHEN YOU COOK WITH YOUR ABSOLUTE FAVORITES. KEEP IT COMING.
Great tip. I have a freezer zip lock bag full of goodies such as cheese rinds, onion scraps, parsley stems, mushroom stems, etc. ready to use for my next stock :)
I use the rinds too! I have been grating my own for quite a while now. Nothing beats it.
What a great little post. I was just doing a little research on what other people do with their cheese rinds for a post we'll be doing soon! (And to get new ideas of what to do with mine!)
QB
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