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Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano)

 

Parmesan is the best known of all Italian cheeses.

 

It accompanies pasta and rice and is ideal for cooking because it does not turn stringy as it melts.

 

It is also delicious at the end of a meal with fruit.

 

If you can avoid it, never buy pre-grated parmesan sold in cartons - it has no taste.

 

Parmesan bought by the chunk should be pale yellow and honeycombed - the generic name for this cheese in Italy is grana, referring to its fine grain.

 

The best grana is four years old and correspondingly expensive.

 

Store large pieces of parmesan wrapped in two or three sheets of foil in the bottom of the fridge.

 

The true giant of the cheese world in so many senses: the drum-shaped whole cheese is a huge thing; its longevity is unrivalled, and many – non-Italians even, would choose Parmesan as their 'If you could only have one cheese, which would it be?' choice. The flavour is a fantastic mixture of just enough salt and sharpness with milky buttery-ness and a grainy texture that is never dry unless the cheese has been stored badly (wrapping tightly in a double layer of foil after each use is the answer).

 

Parmigiano Reggiano making is restricted to the dairy farmers of Emilia Romana, and begins with a mix of morning and evening unpasteurised milk. This is heated in huge cauldron-like boilers and cut and drained with incredible dexterity, then the young cheese is brine bathed and allowed to mature for a minimum of eighteen months. The cheeses are tested several times before they are passed for sale with Parmigiano Reggiano imprinted all around the rind.

 

Tips for measuring, temperatures, or conversion from imperial to metric

More Cooking Hints & Tips

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Recipes that use this ingredient

 

Any Kind of Cheese Sauce

Artichoke Hearts with Spinach

Artichoke Risotto

Asparagus and Cheese Tart

Asparagus, Cheese and Egg Tartlets

Asparagus Feuilletés

Asparagus Under Wraps

Asparagus with Eggs & Cheese

Asparagus with Parmesan & Fried Eggs

Backhähnchen Nach Süddeutscher Art (Ginger Crumbed Fried Chicken)

Baked Aubergines (Eggplants) with Mozzarella

Baked Cannelloni

Baked Eggs in Wild Mushroom Tartlets

Baked Gnocchi Bolognese

Baked Stuffed Sardines

Beetroot (Beets) with Cream & Mushrooms

Braised Squid with a Parsley Stuffing

Breadcrumbed Calves' Brains with Tomato & Basil Dressing

Broccoli Soufflé with Three Cheeses

Broccoli with Green Pepper & Garlic

Bucatini with Red Lentil Sauce

Caramelised Onion Tartlets with Goats' Cheese and Thyme

Cauliflower and Broccoli Gratin with Blue Cheese

Cheat’s Lasagne

Cheese and Parsnip Roulade with Sage and Onion Stuffing

Cheese, Onion and Potato Bread with Thyme

Chicken Lasagne

Chicken & Mushroom Lasagne

Chicken Risotto

Country Chickpea (Garbanzo) Soup

Country-Style Courgettes (Zucchini)

Country-Style Risotto

Courgettes and Tomatoes au Gratin

Courgette Soup with Watercress and Pecorino Pesto

Crab Tart

Croque Monsieur

Croquettes with Mozzarella & Lemon

Croquettes with Mozzarella & Tomato

Crostini Lazio

Deep Dish Artichoke Heart & Bacon Pizza

Deep Dish Mozzarella & Salami Pizza

Deep Dish Mushrooms & Prosciutto Pizza

Egg Noodle Soup

Egg Pasta & Pea Soup

Feta Cheese, Spinach and Pine Nut Galettes

Fettucini Roma

Fischauflauf – Fish Soufflé

Fried Stuffed Sardines

Genoese Meatballs

Glazed Bacon-wrapped Pork Sausages with Crispy Cheese Potato Skins

Gnocchi Carbonara

Gnocchi with Gorgonzola

Gnocchi with Parma Ham and Sage

Gnocchi with Sage, Butter and Parmesan

Gratin of Gnocchi with Watercress and Spring Onion Salad

Gratin of Dover Sole with Broccoli, Leek and Gruyère Sauce

Gratin of Pasta with Leeks and Bacon

Gratin of Ravioli with Cream

Gratin of Rigatoni with Roasted Vegetables

Gratinéed Jerusalem Artichokes

Green Tagliatelle with Peppers

Grilled Mussels

Grilled Spanish Onion with Rocket-leaf Salad

Hirn Überbacken - Brains au Gratin

Italian Stuffed Aubergines

Lamb Ossobuco with an ‘almost’ Risotto Milanese

Lasagne Al Forno

Lentil Soup

Linguine with Gorgonzola, Pancetta and Wilted Rocket

Linguine with Green Beans & Pumpkin Seeds

Luxury Smoked-fish Pie

Macaroni Mamma Mia

Meatballs with Spaghetti and Fresh Tomato Sauce

Milanese Risotto

Minestrone

Minestrone Livorno Style

Minestrone with Macaroni

Mixed-leaf Caesar Salad

Mornay Sauce

Moussaka with Roasted Aubergines and Ricotta

Nordsee Fischkasserolle – North Sea Fish Stew

Oven-baked Wild Mushroom Risotto

Oven-roasted Fish with Potatoes and Salsa Verde

Oven-roasted Ratatouille and Mozzarella Strudel with Parmesan and Pecans

Pancake Cannelloni with Spinach and Three Cheeses

Parmesan Cheese Fritters

Parmesan Risotto

Parmesan-baked Parsnips

Parsnip, Parmesan and Sage Bread

Pasta Puttanesca (Tart's Spaghetti)

Pasta Trio

Pasta Vialli

Pasta with Chickpeas (Garbanzos)

Pasta with Tomato and Mozzarella

Penne with Asparagus and Four Cheeses

Penne with Courgettes (Zucchini) & Pistachio Nuts

Penne with Leeks and Bacon

Penne with Sultana (Golden Raisins) & Pine Nuts

Penne with Wild Mushrooms and Crème Fraîche

Pesto Rice Salad

Pesto Sauce

Pizza Siciliana

Poached Egg in Broth

Potato & Onion Soup

Pumpkin Risotto

Quattro Formaggi (Four Cheese) Pizza

Ravioli with Sage & Pumpkin

Red Lettuce & Rice Soup with Fresh Sage

Red Onion Tarte Tatin

Rice & Peas

Rice & Turnip Soup

Rice with Ham & Chicken Livers

Ricotta & Parmesan Stuffing

Rigatoni and Asparagus au Gratin

Risotto alla Milanese

Risotto with Two Cheeses

Roast Lamb with Broad (Lima) Bean Sauce

Roasted and Sun-dried Tomato Risotto

Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Lasagne

Roasted Red Onion, Rocket and Parmesan Salad

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Tart

Rolled Grilled Aubergine (Eggplant) Stuffed with Spaghetti

Roman Gnocchi

Root Vegetable, Cheese and Onion Pot Pie

Salad of Fresh Tuna & Bacon from the Grill

Savoy Cabbage Stuffed with Scamorza Cheese

Schmorkraut (Braised Fresh Cabbage)

Semolina Dumplings (Gnocchi)

Smoked Fish Tart with a Parmesan Crust

Smoked Salmon Tart

Soufflé Omelette with Three Cheeses and Chives

Souffléed Macaroni Cheese

Spaghetti with Anchovies, Mushrooms and Olives

Spaghetti with Aubergines (Eggplants) & Garlic

Spaghetti with Bacon & Eggs

Spaghetti with Mangetout (Snow Peas)

Spaghetti with Ricotta & Almonds

Spargel Freilburg (Freiburg Asparagus)

Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne with Pine Nuts

Spinach Gnocchi

Stuffed Cannelloni

Stuffed Shoulder of Veal

Tagliatelle Bolognese

Tagliatelle with Basil, Pine Nuts & Parmesan Cheese

Tagliatelle with Peas & Cream

Tagliatelle with Spinach & Walnut Sauce

Tagliatelle with Vegetables & Ham

Tomato Sauce

Turkey Breast Bologna Style

Tuscan Bean and Pasta Soup

Veal & Chicken Pasta Stuffing

Vegetarian Moussaka with Ricotta Topping

Wholewheat Pepper & Caper Pizza

 

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