Asiago Pasta Salad
Ecstatic! A surprise package of cheeses, fresh and seasoned (aged), arrived from the producers of Asiago Pdo (Protected Designation of Origin) … from the Asiago Region in Italy. Cheese has been produced not for hundreds of years in this region but thousands. I’d say, practice makes perfect!
Not sure if I’ve ever tasted fresh Asiago before today … soft, melt in your mouth texture but not sticky, mild smelling and tasting, not bitter nor salty-definitely maintaining a bit of sweetness all the way through. It’s amazing! As far as shelf life after opening, this one is fairly short … maybe two weeks but don’t hold me to that. It won’t last that long around here anyway. The seasoned Asiago Pdo has three levels of maturity, 3-6 months, over 10 months and over 15 months. My little wedge was from the first level. And just an aside, domestic Asiago that I purchase locally (made in Wisconsin) is in the 5 month range. Obviously the flavor (nutty) and smell (bread-like) increase and change with the seasoned process. And rather than accepting my opinion that there is a definite taste difference, Pdo vs Domestic Asiago, do your own taste test.
Try it in a great pasta salad like this one!
Looking through my recipes I came across one for beef stroganoff … My friend Cathy’s recipe carefully handwritten for me. Thank you again! I did make this recipe over the years and shared it with a friend or two. It was wonderful.
