Basket cheese holds the key to a tangy, fresh Easter treat

By Gretchen McKay / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

For many Italians, the 40-day Lenten season is punctuated not by sweets but by a smooth, bright-white cheese that comes in white plastic containers.

It's called basket cheese — formaggio da pasta filata in Italian —  and it's long been an Easter staple for Italians and Italian Americans who’ve grown up celebrating Nonna's Old World food traditions.

Delicate in texture (it’s similar to tofu), it's made with pasteurized cow’s milk and rennet, an enzyme that causes milk to become cheese by separating it into the solid curds and liquid whey. It looks like a cross between two other white, semi-soft cheeses — fresh mozzarella and ricotta — but has a much milder taste. It’s somewhat bland, to be honest, with only the faintest flavor of curds.

Basket cheese is in a category known as formaggi freschi — fresh cheeses sent to market after a very brief period of ripening. Because of its high moisture content, it has a very short shelf life — three weeks at most — and is meant to be eaten shortly after it is purchased.

Fresh basket cheese should not to be confused with another Italian basket cheese known as canestrato, an aged artisanal cheese with a thick rind made from a mix of goat and sheep's milk that goes especially well with fresh fruit and wine. One of Sicily's favorite table cheeses, canestrato also can be grated onto pasta or soup.

Both cheeses are formed and shaped in small, vented baskets. Traditionally, the baskets (canestri in Italian) were crafted from woven wicker or reeds; today, they're more often made of plastic. Whatever the material, it  makes for a beautiful presentation. When basket cheese is unmolded in your kitchen sink (it comes packed in brine), it reveals the impression of the basket it was made in.

To make basket cheese, pasteurized milk is cooled to 90 degrees and rennet is added. Forty-five minutes later, cheesemakers have a big vat of milk gelatin, and it's ready to be into cut into cubes with a cheese harp.

They then rake it a few times to reduce the whey. When the cheese is firm enough, the excess whey is drained and the curds fall to the bottom.

After packing the tiny solids into plastic baskets, two baskets are put together to create one unit, flipped a few times so any remaining whey drains away and then placed in a cooler for about an hour to firm up. After a quick 20-minute dip in a salt brine, they're put on racks once again to drain.

Then it’s off to market and into people's fridges.

Some eat basket cheese right out of the slotted container, on top of crackers or good crusty bread, perhaps with a little honey, jam or fruit to sweeten things up. Or, it can be eaten with a generous drizzle of good olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and a grind of black pepper.

You also can crumble the cheese onto tossed greens for a light lunch (it has just 70 calories in a 1-ounce serving) or place thick slices with olive spread or tomatoes in a grilled-cheese sandwich. Others like to sprinkle it on top of pasta or marinate it for an antipasta with roasted peppers, olives, basil and garlic. You also can whip it with sugar and heavy cream into a velvety, pudding-like dessert.

Basket cheese's most popular use, however, is in a rich, seasonal specialty known as Italian Easter pie.

Every Italian region has its version of the savory dish, which also is known as pizza rustica, pizza chena or pizzagaina.

In the Campania region of Southern Italy, for instance, the tradition originated as a way to clear smokehouses of winter sausages at Easter. The double-crusted pie is stuffed with spicy-hot soppressata and prosciutto along with basket cheese, ricotta and Parmesan.

You'll also find recipes that include hard-boiled eggs, salami, sausage, pepperoni or Parma ham — sometimes all of the above.

Really, there is no “right” way to do an Easter pie, other than to go all out with your favorite cured or salted meats and cheeses. Don’t be cowed by all the calories. It helps celebrate one of Christianity's most important holidays, after all, so why not indulge?

You can find vacuum-sealed basket cheese at Italian markets like Pennsylvania Macaroni Company ($8.49) and all three Labriola’s locations ($7.95). If you prefer fresh  basket cheese, DeLallo’s in Jeanette is bringing it in twice weekly ($9.90/pound) and you also can find it at Pickles & Pancetta in Oakmont ($8.49). Or head to Valentino Cheese in New Castle. Theirs is crafted just down the road by Pasture Maid Creamery owner and sixth-generation farmer Adam Dean using Dean’s milk. Using rennet instead of vinegar results in a slightly firmer cheese.

It’s put into the distinctive basket molds that help the cheese breathe “and we allow it to drain overnight,” says owner Kelly Gorgacz. It costs $7 per pound.

Below, we offer a few easy recipes that allow this seasonal food to shine. They should please the traditionalists as well as those looking to start new culinary traditions with a quintessential Italian food. Buona Pasqua!

Pizza rustica (Italian Easter Pie)

(

PG tested

This luscious (and filling) pie, stuffed with meats and cheeses, is served by many Italian Catholics at noon on Easter Saturday to mark the end of Lent and break the six-week fast. I used a sweet pastry crust but a regular pie crust works just as well.

Be sure to let the pie cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into slices, or you may have trouble getting it onto a plate in one piece. It’s delicious for breakfast the next morning!

Homemade or prepared pastry or regular pie crust for a 2-crust pie

½ pound bulk sausage, cooked and drained

1 small onion, chopped

¼ pound pepperoni, chopped

¼ pound hard salami, chopped

¼ pound prosciutto, chopped

1 pound fresh basket cheese, drained

1 pound fresh ricotta

4 ounces shredded mozzarella

4 ounces shredded provolone

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

3 eggs, lightly beaten

Pepper to taste

Place bottom crust into 9-inch pie pan.

Prepare filling: Crumble and cook sausage. Add chopped onions and cook until soft, about 2-3 minutes.

Chop the rest of the meats into small pieces. Drain fresh basket cheese, pat dry with paper towels, and crumble or slice into bite-size pieces. Drain any excess moisture from ricotta.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl (I used my hands). Pour filling into pie crust. (This is a lot of filling and you will have to pack it into the plate.)

Put on top crust and seal edges. Cut slits in top to let steam escape.

Bake in 350-degree oven for 50 minutes (my pie took about 70 minutes to properly brown). If you like, brush the top of pie with melted butter. To prevent the pie from overbrowning, loosely cover the edges with aluminum foil. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes of baking.

Serves 8.

— adapted from Lamagna Cheese Co.

Fried Basket Cheese

PG tested

This dish is very similar to fried mozzarella sticks. In other words, kids love it.

1 pound basket cheese

1-2 cups vegetable or peanut oil for frying 

1 cup panko or whole-wheat breadcrumbs

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs, whisked

Parsley

½ cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

Salt and pepper

Fresh tomato sauce, for serving

Remove basket cheese from holder. Pat dry with paper towels or a clean dish towel. Freeze cheese for approximately 15 minutes to harden it a bit. Slice into 1-inch wedges and set aside.

Place a heavy -bottomed deep pan with vegetable or peanut oil over medium-high heat.

Prepare breading by placing panko or whole-wheat breadcrumbs, all-purpose flour and 2 whisked eggs in separate bowls. Season breadcrumbs with 2 or 3 sprigs of chopped parsley, about ½ cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese, salt and pepper.

Line up the dipping assembly line as follows: Basket cheese pieces, flour, egg, then breadcrumbs.

Start by dredging one piece of cheese in flour and dust off excess. Dip the floured cheese in the egg. Finally, coat with breadcrumbs by pressing down with your hand on each side. Transfer to a dish and repeat until all basket cheese is breaded.

When oil is hot, carefully drop in breaded cheese and flip with a spider (a spoon-like utensil with slots or mesh basket and a long handle). Allow the breading to become golden brown and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil. Salt immediately.

Transfer to a serving dish. Serve warm with prepared chunky tomato sauce and enjoy!

Serves 6.

— adapted from Angelocarlino.com

Basket Cheese Panini

PG tested

I don't have a panini press, so I made this sandwich in a frying pan, like you would grilled cheese. The original recipe called for olive paste but I opted for sun-dried tomato spread. Fresh spinach completes the colors of the Italian flag.

2 slices ciabatta bread, each ½ inch thick

Olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper mixed for brushing

2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato paste or spread

2¼-inch-thick slices basket cheese

2 slices of tomato, thinly sliced

¼ cup baby spinach, stemmed

Preheat an electric panini maker according to the manufacture's instructions.

Brush 1 side of each bread slice with olive oil mixture. Lay slices, oiled side down, on a clean work surface.

Spread the top of each slice with 1 tablespoon tomato paste. Place the basket cheese on a slice and top with tomato and spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Top with the other bread slice, oiled side up.

Place the sandwich on the preheated panini maker and cook until the bread is golden and the cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes.

Transfer the sandwich to a cutting board and cut in half. Serve immediately.

Serves 1.

— adapted from Miceli Dairy Products (miceli-dairy.com)

Basket Cheese and Chocolate Pudding

PG tested

Tastes like tiramisu!

1¾ cups heavy cream, divided

½ cup dark chocolate, chopped

1 pound basket cheese

½ cup sugar

¼ cup Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur

1½ tablespoon finely ground coffee

Heat ¾ cup cream in a small sauce pan, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate. Whisk until well incorporated, set aside and cool to room temperature.

In food processor, mix basket cheese, sugar, Bailey's Irish Cream and ground coffee until smooth.

Add remaining 1 cup of the cream and process until just mixed. Divide this mixture among 6 8-ounce dessert dishes.

Spoon the chocolate mixture over the basket cheese mixture and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Serves 6.

-- Narragansett Creamery