Zamorano Cheese

Sheepy Cheese
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Recently I started my affair with Zamorano. So far it has taken twenty bucks to get my fill of this heavenly sheep's milk cheese. And I would gladly spend another twenty... and another... and another.
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It has a very pasture like flavor when compared to cow's milk cheese. The taste of the great out doors works its way deep into the complexity of this cheese. And for being a hard cheese it is rather easy to slice and doesn't require cooking or thin slicing to get a good texture.
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I like it right out of the fridge while it is still nice and cold. Others might like to let it set out for a little while so that it becomes a little softer. But it will never be as hard or crumbly as Parmasian or other hard cheeses. Instead it is easy to slice like Manchego and never grainy in texture.
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And yet I have found that it is perfect for the kitchen too. It has that medium melting point that makes it great for a grilled cheese or something a little more challenging like a pasta dish.
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You can find this cheese at Whole Foods for around 19 dollars a pound. It is usually cut into chunks that ring up for around four to five dollars. And those chunks of cheese can go a long way when used as a snack or even in the kitchen for a supper dish.
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This cheese is worth a try. And it is a great cheese to start expanding your cheese palate.
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Cheese And Hoosiers

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It is hard to imagine living so close to Wisconsin and never having known that there is more to cheese than Cheddar for so long. Swiss, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Cheddar, and Colby are all rather boring to me. Especially if the word Kraft is on the package. And if what you call Parmesan is already grated and in a tube... you don't know what Parmesan is.
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As of late I have been able to get more and more people to try more and more bizarre foods (The TV show by that name is a major inspiration of mine). We have had cows head roasted in a pit over night, pigs feet in a kimchi that was mildly spicy, and escargot backed in squash blossoms.
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The reaction to these has always seemed to be far less outrageous with the addition of cheese. And that is where Manchego comes in. A cheese that I like to imagine that God himself would eat every day.
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Now you can get Manchego in a few different varieties around Indy. There is the usual three month Manchego that is a little softer and easier to cut if you want to eat it raw (which I personally suggest). Next there is the six month Manchego that is better suited for cooking and is in my opinion the best for macaroni and cheese. Or there is the stuff that should rain down from Heaven itself, twelve month aged Manchego.
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Mahon cheese is a good one too... but that isn't the point.
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If you are lucky enough to find the twelve month Manchego I would suggest using it in any way you would usually use other grating cheeses. It makes absolutely the best backed macaroni and cheese. And it is rather useful as a cutting cheese if you want a nice snack... you will need a good cheese knife for this one.
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So far I have been able to find the three month Manchego at places like Marsh, Meijer, and some Kroger grocery stores. Fresh Market carries a nice selection of this cheese and sometimes has six month Manchego available too. However, the best place to go for cheese up here north of Indy has to be Whole Foods.
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Whole Foods has almost every type of Manchego you can think of. They carry the 12 month Manchego, the best type available in Indiana. And they have other forms of Spanish cheeses to choose from... some you probably never have even heard of too.