My fava beans are happening and a friend just brought me a fabulous Tuscan pecorino. Is that an opportunity or what? Young favas straight from the pod. Nuggets of buttery sheep cheese. Crisp white wine. It’s the antipasto I fantasize about when I plant the beans in the fall, and now’s the moment. Every good cheese counter will have an aged pecorino suitable for pairing with fresh favas—an Italian spring custom—but I am smitten with this new-to-me cheese. Its flavor is deep, herbaceous, saline, the perfect counterpoint to the sweet beans.
Savello USA has been importing the acclaimed Il Fiorino sheep cheeses from Tuscany, including the Cacio di Caterina that seduced me, for about a decade. Anna Gallo, sales director for this family-run importer, says Cacio di Caterina is likewise a favorite of hers. “It’s like biting into a cloud,” she says. “It’s so light and fluffy.”
That description doesn’t sound like it would apply to an eight-month-old sheep cheese, but I know what she means. The interior is firm yet crumbly, with a tender texture you don’t expect in a wheel this mature. The fragrance is nutty and grassy, the flavor sweet and buttery, with a peppery note that I associate with animal rennet. The word “savory” was invented for cheeses like this.
In the grotto: Cave-aged Cacio di Caterina
Made with pasteurized milk from local farms in the Maremma, in southern Tuscany, Cacio di Caterina is named for the grandmother of the creamery’s owner. Cacio is a generic Italian word for cheese. (Think cacio e pepe.) But there is nothing generic about this cheese. It has a big personality, a beautiful rind and that balance of sweetness, acidity and salt that brings you back. Use a blunt Parm knife to make rocky chunks rather than slices. I can’t explain it, but the cheese tastes better that way.
Tuscan cheese royalty: Angela Fiorini and husband Simone
The sixty-year-old Il Fiorino is now operated by Angela Fiorini, daughter of the founder, and her husband. The family traces its roots in the region to the 1700s. Angela’s father, Duilio, was instrumental in securing a PDO for Pecorino Toscano, and it was he who transformed a nearby natural cave into a maturation cellar for his cheeses.
If your fava beans are young, pop them out of their fuzzy pods and enjoy them raw (peeled or not), alternating with nibbles of pecorino. The salty cheese provides the seasoning, and a glass of Pinot Grigio, Fiano or rosé completes the thought.
I wish Cacio di Caterina were more widely available. Ask for it! Currently it’s sold at Market Hall Foods in Oakland, CA; Cowbell in Portland, OR; Giordano’s European Cheese in Rochester, NY; and Di Palo’s Fine Foods in New York City. Gallo says retailers prefer smaller formats than this 10-pound wheel. If they don’t know how to cut down the cheese correctly, she says, they get a lot of crumbles and a lot of waste.
Butter Lettuce Hearts with Pecorino and Fava Beans
Adapted from The Cheese Course by Janet Fletcher (Chronicle Books).
Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine or Champagne vinegar
1 shallot, minced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad:
1 pound fava beans, shelled
2 small heads butter lettuce or Little Gem lettuce
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
2 to 3 ounces shaveable sheep cheese, not too soft or hard
Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and shallot. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand for 30 minutes to allow the shallot flavor to mellow. Taste and adjust the balance as needed.
Blanch the fava beans in a large pot of boiling water until tender (remove one, peel and taste to be sure), 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and transfer to ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again. Remove the outer skin, which should slip off easily.
Remove the outer green leaves from each head of butter lettuce until you reach the pale green heart. (Save the outer leaves for sandwiches or other salads.) Wash the hearts, tear the leaves into smaller pieces and spin-dry thoroughly.
In a bowl, toss the butter lettuce and 1 tablespoon of the parsley with all but 2 teaspoons of the dressing. Check for salt and pepper. Divide the leaves among 4 salad plates or arrange on a large platter. With a cheese plane, shave the sheep cheese over the salad. Toss the fava beans with the reserved dressing, then scatter them over the salad. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve immediately.
Serves 4