Spice Road Spices A Herb and Spice Story from the Sunday Art of Flavour Post

Reflecting on our recent Sunday morning chats, it would seem we sometimes forget that the special flavour in our cooking comes from more than Herbs and Spices.

The flavour alternatives are obvious. Consider a true chicken or vegetable stock or even better, a beef stock from bone marrow or a red wine, butter and beef stock jus for your steaks. All true ambassadors of wonderful flavour for your kitchen.

And cheese. When you think of the wonders of great flavour in our cooking, cheese would have to be part of the mix.

Earlier last year, our Sunday chat focused on the legendary Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese from the Emilia Romagna region of Northern Italy. We said at the time this cheese is immortal.

Should you wish to try it, it is available from the specialist Sydney cheese shop, Ocello. The price is $1000 for a 18kg half wheel. Clearly expensive but worth every cent.

Returning to our thoughts on great flavour and staying with cheese, it will be instructive to look at how cheese pairs with pasta.

This is important. There is no point going to all sorts of trouble with your favourite pasta dish then stuffing the whole thing up with a bland, soapy cheese.

Three Great Pasta Cheeses

You can be safe and add Parmesan. That will work although you will find there are some pretty ordinary grated Parmesan cheeses in the supermarkets. The better option is to buy a whole piece and grate it yourself.

An alternative is the supermarket Parmigiano Reggiano whole piece. Naturally not up to the Ocello cheese but it will be a nice partner for your pasta.

The third and we think the best option, is Pecorino Romano cheese. You will still have to sort out your preferred brand but you will be starting from a high base.

Even better, Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano Reggiano work together beautifully. They are made for each other - see Cacio e Pepe recipe.

When working with Pecorino Romano it is important to note that it has a higher melting point than Parmesan. Adding the salted boiling pasta water to the dish with the Pecorino should assist with melting.

Of course, our Italian Brothers and Sisters do not have a mortgage on pairing cheese and pasta. We will look at further alternatives next Sunday including members comments on this subject.