Spanish blue cheese – CABRALES

Cheese is one of my favourite foods. I love a chunk of well matured English Cheddar, but you can rarely get the real thing here in Spain. There are three types of Spanish cheese that I like, Manchego, Mahon and the fabulously intense blue Cabrales. A glass of port, a plate of ritz crackers and a large slice of cabraes and I am in heaven.

Asturias is the cheese center of Spain. Over 30 officially registered varieties of cheese are produced by around 350 usually small-scale, family businesses. Particularly in the high mountainous region of the Picos de Europa, which is still inhabited by bears and rare birds of prey, herders continue to roam through the
mountains with their cows, goats, and sheep, and produce their own varieties of cheese.

Although most businesses have adapted their standards to comply with modern hygienic requirements, many varieties of cheese are still made to traditional recipes from fresh, unpasteurized milk and are sold only in small quantities locally Quesa de Cabrales, a cheese which the author Benito Pérez Galdos described as having a
“pestilent aroma,” is the only one to have made a name for itself far beyond the boundaries of Asturias. Cabrales comes from the area around Cabrales and Penamellera Alta and is a three-milk cheese. Unpasteurized cow milk is mixed with varying quantities of goat and sheep milk.

It is then warmed and curdled by adding small amounts of rennet. Once the whey has been drained off the cheese is broken up into pieces the size of a hazelnut and pressed into cylindrical molds. The cheese is then left for one to two weeks to dry Cabrales obtains its characteristic blue veining in the limestone caves typical of the region.

These natural maturing chambers, which were created thousands of years ago, are evenly ventilated throughout the year by cool winds which blow through the porous stone. These are accompanied by a high atmospheric humidity of around 90 percent and low temperatures of between 46 and 54 °F (8 and 12 °C). Under these onditions, bacteria, yeast, and the fungus in the caves (penicillium claoeram, similar to the Roquefort fimgus) act on the cheese°s metabolic process. The cheese must be turned several times during the maturing process and the rinds must be cleaned, so that they have sufiicient air to enable the mold to continue to develop. Three to six months later, a firm, blue-veined cheese will emerge. Cabraler was traditionally sold wrapped in moist maple leaves. However, modern European Union
hygiene regulations increasingly require this packaging to be replaced by foil with a leaf motif stamped on it.

Although the famous Cabrales has been protected by a quality classification (D.O.) since 1985, there are still significant differences in quality The best comparison is offered by the cheese market in Arenas de Cabrales, held each year on the last Sunday in August, where the area’s cheese producers exhibit their products.

Although overshadowed by the famous Cabrales, its relative Queso de Gamonedo is still an insiders tip. It is also a three-milk cheese, made from cow, sheep, and goat milk. The cheese is compressed, making Gamonedo more compact than Cabrales.

It is also lightly smoked and then matured in limestone caves, where it develops a fine blue veining only around the edge, due to its density This cheese used to be wrapped in ferns after it had matured. Gamonedo will often outstrip Cabrales in terms of flavor and aroma. However, it is usually only sold locally

TERNERA AL CABRALES

Veal fillet with Cabrales cheese
4 slices of veal fillet each wezghing 5 oz/150 g
2 tbls oil
5 tbsp/75 g butter
1/2 cup/125 ml brown stock
1/2cup/125 ml cream
3 1/2 oz/100 g Cabrales or another blue cheese, finely diced
Scant 1 cup/200 ml brandy
Salt and pepper

Fry the veal steaks in hot oil for a minute on each side. Remove them from the skillet and keep warm. Melt the butter in the skillet and fry the mushrooms in it. Deglaze with the brown stock and pour in the cream. Melt the cheese in the sauce, add the brandy, and season with salt and pepper. Return the veal steaks to the sauce for a few minutes, depending on how they are to be cooked, and serve them in the sauce.
Cheese Recipes with Bill & Sheila

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