A Quick Recipe For Fresh Goat Cheese And Olive Dip

                                           Olive Dip With Fresh Goat Cheese

This recipe is quick and easy and will provide your guests with a flavorful, eye-catching appetizer. Fresh goat cheese (Chevre) is light so it is great for the spring and summer seasons. Any fresh goat cheese will work here but we prefer to use the Montchevre brand or try any that your cheese retailer may suggest..



Ingredients:

11oz of fresh goat cheese

3/4 cup of light cream

1 cup of pitted Kalamata olives chopped roughly

1 cup of pitted green olive chopped roughly

1 sprig of fresh thyme leaves

Presentation and prep time 15 minutes

1. Mix the goat cheese and cream together in a small bowl until smooth.

2. Spread about 1/3 of the cheese spread into the bottm of a clean serving bowl.

3.Spread the chopped Kalamata olives over the entire surface of the cheese mix.

4.Spread another layer of cheese mix on top of the chopped olives.

5.Spread the chopped green olives on top of this cheese layer  as before.

Use the remaing cheese mix to cover the green olive layer . Smooth it out and sprinkle the fresh thyme leaves on top.

Serve at room temperature with crackers, flat breads or crusty bread.

A Summer Salad With Goat Cheese, Orange and Fennel

This is an easy to prepare salad that is perfect for light lunchs during the spring and summer months. Orange and fennel work well together and the introduction of an aged goat cheese enhances the flavor of both.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 large oranges

1 medium head of fennel

1 medium sized red onion

3oz of mixed. spinach, arugula and watercress

5oz aged goat cheese (Capablanca, Garrotxa or Goat Gouda)

Salad Dressing

1/2oz. of pitted black olives

1 tbsp.of fresh parsley

2 tbsp.of extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp. of orange juice

1 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar

salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

1 Peel the oranges, sperate them in to segments then cut the into mouths sized pieces over a bowl and save the run off orange juice it and put it aside.

2 Discard the tough outer layer of the fennel and then finely slice it.

3 Chop the red onion and cut the goat cheese into small cubes.

4 Combine and mix the spinach, arugula and watercress.

5 Place all of these items into the bowl with the oranges and the juice.

6 Place all of the dressing ingredients into a cruet and shake well.

When ready to serve pour the dressing over the salad and serve with a crusty bread and a small dish of pepperd extra virgin olive oil for dipping.

Asiago Italy's Great Kitchen Cheese

Asiago

Asiago or (Asiago d’allevo) is a partially skimmed cooked curd raw cow’s milk cheese that has an inedible brushed rind Italian cheese. It is produced in the Vento region of Italy near the Dolomite Mountains and has been granted DOP certification so it can only be produced in this area. The certification assures the quality of the ingredients and the production methods.

Details: Asiago is available in three stages of aging, fresh (fresco) aged about two months, medium (mezzano) aged for three to five months and (vecchio) which is aged for nine to twelve months. .

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Tasting and Flavor: Asiago Fresco is neither salty nor bitter and has a slight acidity similar to that of whole yogurt. Asiago Mezzano and Vecchio have decisive and salty complex flavors and are much more aromatic.  Pleasantly spicy hints can be perceived in the more mature vecchio version and its rich aroma is reminiscent of butter, yeast, dried fruits, or some say, boiled chestnuts. The fresh version has a light beige rind and interior paste that has many small holes, the aged versions have a dry grayish outer rind and an interior paste dotted with many small holes and a bone white to amber color. Asiago has a fat content between 30% to 45% with the aged version having the higher fat percentage.


Fresh or aged, Asiago cheese is a popular ingredient in the Italian kitchen. It can be enjoyed as a complement to pasta, rice, pizza, sliced on sandwiches or soups. Asiago is a wonderful substitute for grated Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, or aged Gouda in most recipes. Asiago can be served as a table cheese that can be served with hearty bread, salami, or with sweet fruits like fresh figs or pears. The fresh version of Asiago is wonderful shaved or cubed in a crisp salad..

When shopping look for a whole or partially cut wheel that has the Asiago DOP label on it. Avoid any cheeses that have a grayish pallor to the interior paste or that look old or have cracked rinds. It is usually hard to abuse this cheese but it never hurts to ask for a sample to taste to insure that you are getting a good quality cheese.


Wine parings: As a general rule of thumb, the older the Asiago, the stronger your wine. Pair fresh Asiago with similarly young, soft, and delicate flavors. Try white, light rosé, or dry sparkling wines such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, or a Franciacorta Brut Spumante.

Matured Asiago requires a more robust, full-bodied red wine for sipping and savoring. Try a Rioja, Cabernet, Bardolino  Barolo or Chianti Reserva.

Both types of Asiago also pair nicely with non-alcoholic beverages such as cranberry and sparkling grape juice.