Montreal Food Importer & Distributor | Exclusive Importer of Citterio in Canada | Macchi Inc. » Parmigiano Reggiano

TIPS AND TRICKS ON HOW TO PICK & STORE PROSCIUTTO

MrsMacchi — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:00:25 +0000

Here are some tips and tricks about prosciutto that I learn over the time and through my experience working with it over the years. I decided to share these with you, as before I came into the business, I would ask myself these questions everytime I find myself in front of a deli counter.

1. How to store prosciutto?

If the prosciutto is sliced, keep it in the coldest part of the fridge (usually in the bottom), make sure it’s well wrapped/air tight (preferably in plastic) so the edges do not dry.
For a full piece (not sliced) you can either refrigerate it in fridge or in the freezer. Always make sure the piece is well wrapped to avoid mould in fride or freezer burn.

Last edited by MrsMacchi on October 9, 2009 at 12:30 am

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10 November, 2009 @ 12:30 [Autosave] by MrsMacchi
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ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PARMIGIANO REGGIANO

MrsMacchi — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:55:35 +0000

Thanksgiving weekend is here and we all have so many things to be thankful for. It gives us a chance to reflect on all the good things that have happened to us within the past year, to spend quality time with our loved ones, friends and family, and to allow us to be grateful for what we have. As always the highlight is the good food that will be consumed from the harvest.

I slowly started in the beginning of this week, to show you how Parmigiano cheese can be used in the most simplest ways at home, with a preparation made by Paolo Macchi and a recipe of mine, to the more elegant ways of presentation in a restaurant created by Chef Roberto Stabile from Restaurant Primo and Secondo , and now I think it's time for me to share a little bit of the history and making of this 'King of cheeses' – The Parmigiano Reggiano -.

: Parmigianno Reggiano D.O.P. – Picture taken by Montreal photographer Vadim Daniel

Parmigiano Reggiano

Just like all of the other products I have mentioned so far, the secret always lies within the local vegetation and climat,

in this case for the Parmigiano Reggiano it is the:

natural feed
high quality milk ( partially whole and partially skimmed )
no additives except for salt
the long process of aging
natural fermenting agents in the milk

The Parmigiano Reggiano has for at least eight centuries been made in the exactly same way, in the same places, with the same appearance. Even the production has remained the same using: milk, rennet, fire and heart.

How it's made…

Parmigiano Reggiano is made from raw cow's milk, milk is pumped into copper-lined vats (copper heats and cools quickly), calf rennet is added to allow cheese to curdle. Temperature is raised and curd is left to settle. Curd is then placed in molds that will produce wheels that are 45 kilos (100 lbs) each. Cheese is placed into stainless steel round forms to retain it's classical shape. After a couple of days cheese gets imprinted several times with the Parmigiano Reggiano name, the number of the plant and the year of production. The 'wheels' are then placed in a brine bath to absorb salt for 20-25 days. Cheeses are then placed on wooden shelves, cleaned and turned once/week for 12 months. At 12 months the consorzio of Parmigiano Reggiano inspects each cheese to make sure it fulfills all of it's requirements. After this procedure each plant can then choose how much longer they would like to age the cheese. The aging process is anywhere from 18, 22 to 30 months.

For more about the production I found this beautifully made video that I would recommend you all to see by clicking here!

In the next post I will speak about the Grana Padano, the differences between the Parmigiano Reggiano and the Grana Padano and some tips and tricks.

Later!

A CHEF’S TAKE ON PARMIGIANO AT RESTAURANT PRIMO AND SECONDO

MrsMacchi — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:42:05 +0000

Primo and Secondo has been a milestone for Italian cooking in little Italy for a while now, we have enjoyed many dishes made by part owner and executive Chef Roberto Stabile. Roberto, his wife Natalina and family have over the years been faithful and valued clients of ours here at Macchi Inc. and Paolo and I have personally experienced many exciting dining experiences over there. I’m sure you have read some of the write ups that have been made by food and restaurant critics in the past and he keeps on evolving with all the upcoming food trends.

Here is an expample of how Chef Roberto Stabile will present a plate with parmigiano reggiano:

: Prosciutto Appetizer with parmigiano reggiano

Prosciutto Appetizer w. figs and Parmigiano reggiano

Prosciutto friulano riserva
fresh figs
arugula salad
Parmigiano reggiano shavings

Trust me, it tastes just as good as it looks!

Off course the plates change depending on the season and what fruits and vegetables are available on the market. Since the Jean Talon market is practically in the ‘backyard’ of the restaurant, it makes it extremely easy for him to ‘work-as-he-goes’ during the summer season.

As usual, I would be extremely appreciative to hear your thoughts on this and if you get a chance to go and have this there let me know what you think.

Until tomorrow, have a good one!

PAOLO MACCHI PREPARING A PLATE WITH PARMIGIANO REGGIANO

MrsMacchi — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:54:38 +0000

Hi I’m back and here to stay! Here we are, Monday morning and a whole week a head of us, but since the Canadian thanks giving weekend is coming up it doesn’t feel as depressing as most Mondays do to me.
I have, since I started blogging, been looking forward to talking about this weeks product. It is a product that we all have used or consumed and some just can’t have a pasta plate without it! This product would amongst stone be considered as the diamond, amongst metal it would be considered platinum and amongst the cheeses it is by far ‘the King of Cheeses’, I am talking about – Parmigiano -.

I wanted to give this week a soft start and begin with showing you how we enjoy having this cheese at the Macchi residence!

Paolo’s Parmigiano reggiano plate

: Parmigiano Reggiano – Picture taken by Montreal Photographer Vadim Daniel

This is so simple but yet so good, a perfect snack on a evening when you just want a reason to open up a good bottle of wine.

All you need is to break up a few pieces of parmigiano reggiano and drizzle some balsamic vinegar on top, in this case we used an aged one which I personally would suggest, the sweet vinegar is a nice contrast to the saltiness of the cheese.

Buon Appetito!