We get a lot of questions as to what exactly is "Caciotta"? Well for starters caciotta is an Italian style cheese that is made in a small basket (usually in a cylindrical shape) no larger than 2 kilos.
Our caciotta is made in two shapes; a small 8 oz. wheel perfect for a cheese pairing plate, as well as an aged, 4-5 lb wheel. Each cheese is carefully hand formed and pressed into baskets, and typically aged for less than 2 weeks. Our cheeses deep yellow color comes from the natural ripening process that occurs in our aging rooms. While we usually recommend this cheese as a pairing cheese, caciotta is also an excellent cooking cheese.
This simple yet delicious bruschetta with sasuage recipe is the perfect winter comfort food snack that highlights all the wonderful flavors of caciotta!
Ingredients:
2 Mild Italian Sausage Links, without casing
1 Crusty Baguette Bread, Cut Into 12 Slices
1 1/2 cups Ferndale Farmstead Caciotta Cheese, shredded
1 1/2 Tablespoons Fresh Sage, finely chopped
Cracked Black Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Directions:
Preheat oven broiler. In the meantime, heat a medium frying pan and cook sausage meat until lightly browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir and break up the sausage as it cooks. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet, and brown lightly under the broiler on both sides. Brush one side of each of the bread slices with olive oil. In a bowl, combine the cheese, sausage crumbles, sage, and cracked black pepper. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover each bread slice with the cheese mixture, then place the tray in the oven and bake until hot and bubbly, about 8 to 10 minutes.
*This recipe was taken from "The Cheese Whisper"- Skagit Valley Coop Website written by Claire Harlock Garber
