Michael Angelo’s
Key Ingredients
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Imported
Italian Cheeses
 In
the Italian countryside, cheese is such an essential part of daily
life that you often see wheels of Pecorino, Parmesan and other cheeses
hanging from the rafters of houses and barns. For the Italian cook,
only cheeses made using Old World methods is acceptable.
It’s
the same at Michael Angelo’s. All of the cheeses we
use in our gourmet Italian meals are made with Old World methods. What’s
the difference?
Cheeses made using these methods contain all-natural ingredients
and are allowed to curd over time, giving each its distinctive
flavor and texture. Automated factories add binders and fillers,
color additives, texturizers and more. Sometimes, they add enzymes
and send the milk through piping systems to speed up the curding
process. We don’t
think that sounds like something we’d want to eat.
The cheeses Michael Angelo’s uses are always all natural,
whether it’s our Pecorino Romano or Reggiano Parmesan, imported
directly from Italy, or our creamy mozzarella, made specifically
for us using the same techniques that Italians have employed for
centuries.
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“Mom,
get off the truck!”
“
Mom’s a stickler for cheese, and she’s locked horns with
the biggest vendors over the quality of their products.
“
One time, we had a truck of mozzarella show up, and she decided to
go check on it. So she goes out and climbs up on the truck, and I can
see that the driver is this giant of a guy! He turns around, looks
at her and says, ‘Whatta YOU want?’ And I’m thinking,
oh no, I’m going to have to deal with this guy?
“
She opens up the back, takes a cheese out, pinches a piece off, and
I could just see it on her face. ‘It’s no good,’ she
says. ‘We’re not taking it.’”
“
The huge trucker is yelling, ‘I’ve gotta get this stuff
off my truck!’
“
And all I can say is, ‘Mom, come down off the truck! And leave
him up there, don’t bring him down here!’” – Michael
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Asiago
Michael Angelo’s Asiago is purchased in whole
wheels to ensure freshness and purity.
Named for the Italian region
where it is produced, there are two forms of Asiago cheese: fresh
Asiago (Pressato) and mature Asiago (Asiago d´Allevo). Asiago Pressato is made with whole milk
and aged for about 40 days. On the other hand, Asiago d´Allevo
aged up to a year and has a yellowish color and a somewhat grainy
texture. Both offer a nut-like flavor.
Michael Angelo’s uses mature Asiago d´Allevo in its
Chicken Alfredo, Ravioli Florentine and Chicken in Asiago Sauce.
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Ricotta
Ricotta,
meaning “cooked again” is a soft white fresh cheese
with a texture smoother than cottage cheese. Made from the whey
drained from other cheeses like provolone and mozzarella, it
has a grainy,
thick texture and a rich but mildly sweet, flavor.
While Michael Angelo’s regular all-natural Ricotta is already
low in fat and in salt content, we also use a special low-fat ricotta
in our famous Vegetable Lasagna.
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Romano
Hard, salty and sharp, Romano is usually grated before use. True
Romano is made from sheep's milk (Pecorino Romano) or goat's milk
(Caprino Romano), though mass-produced versions, as in the United
States, are often made from cow's milk (Vacchino Romano).
Michael Angelo’s only uses imported Italian Pecorino Romano
cheese made from sheep’s milk and purchased in whole wheels
to ensure freshness and purity. Taste the difference this authentic
cheese makes in our Roasted Chicken Bolognese, Spinach Ravioli
and other dishes. |
| Mozzarella
Mozzarella describes several
kinds of Italian fresh cheese that are made using spinning and
then cutting (the Italian verb mozzare means” to
cut.”) Most mozzarella is made from unpasteurized water
buffalo's milk; Campania's buffalo milk or cow's milk. Lesser
grades of
mozzarella may be made from mixtures, are sometimes smoked,
and may be stored
in preservatives.
Michael Angelo’s only uses mozzarella di bufala campana (Campania's
buffalo milk) in its authentic Italian entrees, because it is regarded
as the best quality available. It arrives fresh in its traditional
ball shape without preservatives and is used immediately so that each
dish captures the smooth, mellow taste this marvelous cheese adds
to our favorite recipes. |
| Parmesan
Parmesan is the common term for any cheese similar to Parmigiano
Reggiano, a hard, grainy Italian cheese that is made from raw cow's
milk, brined and then aged for 24 months. True Parmigiano Reggiano
cheese has a complex fruity/nutty taste with a slightly gritty texture.
Michael Angelo’s only uses genuine imported Parmigiano Reggiano
in full wheels to ensure quality and freshness. Taste the difference
this outstanding cheese makes in our Eggplant Parmesan, Four-Cheese
Lasagna and other delicious Italian dishes. |
| Tuscan Blend
Michael Angelo’s
farm-style blend of piave and fontina cheeses captures the flavor
of the Tuscan
countryside. We combine the finest
imported fontina, a semi-firm cheese with the mild taste of wild
mushrooms with imported piave, a buttery cheese made high in
the mountains of
northern Italy. The result is outstanding flavor that makes our
Spinach Ravioli one of our favorite Italian entrees. |
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