STILTON CHEESE

Stilton is an English cheese, produced in two varieties: Blue known for its characteristic strong smell and taste, and the lesser-known White that is a young cheese.

Blue Stilton's distinctive blue veins are created by piercing the crust of the cheese with stainless steel needles, allowing air into the core. The manufacturing and ripening process takes approximately nine to twelve weeks.

Both Blue Stilton and White Stilton have been granted the status of a Protected Designation of Origin  (PDO) by the European Commission. The PDO status requires that only cheese produced in the three counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire and made according to a strict code may be called "Stilton";.

For this reason cheese made in the village of Stilton cannot be called "Stilton".

The history of Stilton can be traced back to the early 18th century. The first Englishman to market blue Stilton cheese was Cooper Thornhill in 1730.

Characteristics

To be called "Blue Stilton", a cheese must:[

• Be made only in the three counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire from local milk, which is pasteurised before use (at peak times the milk may also be drawn from the whole of England and Wales).

• Have the traditional cylindrical shape.

• Form its own crust or coat.

• Be unpressed.

• Contain delicate blue veins radiating from the centre.

• Have a "taste profile typical of Stilton".

• Minimum 48% milk fat in the dry matter

Stilton has a typical fat content of ~35%, and protein content of ~23%.

 

 

Recipes- Main Dishes

 

Braised Pork & Prunes in a Creamy Stilton Sauce

 

Pork has a natural sweetness that goes especially well with creamy blue Stilton and prunes in a rich mustard sauce. This recipe is one of very few that uses red wine in conjunction with pork.

 

INGREDIENTS

 

- 75g pitted prunes (prugne snocciolate)

- 150ml red wine

- 4 x 175g pork chops (costine di maiale), trimmed (tagliato)

- 2 tbsp vegetable oil

- 1 large onion, halved and sliced (tagliate a metà e affettate)

- 2 tbsp grainy (in granuli) mustard

- 400ml chicken stock (brodo)

- 150ml milk

- 150g blue Stilton cheese, rind (buccia) removed and crumbled (sbriciolata)

 

METHOD

1 Place the prunes and wine in a steel pan, bring to a simmer (poratre a bollore), cover and leave for an hour or so to soften (ammorbidire) in their own residual heat.

 

2 Heat the oil in large skillet and brown (rosolare) the chops on both side. Transfer to a plate.

 

3 Add the onion and soften for 6-8 minutes. Stir (mescolare) in flour and mustard to take up the cooking juice, then remove from the heat. Add the stock and milk a little at a time, stirring until absorbed. Add half of the Stilton cheese and the pork. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on the stove for 50 minutes.

 

4 When the prunes have taken up (assorbito) most of the wine, split (separare) them down the side and stuff (farcire) each prune with the remaining Stilton.

 

5 When the pork has cooked for 50 minutes, switch off the heat, add the prunes and let them heat through for 5-10 minutes.

 

6 Delicius served with a jacket potato and red cabbagen (cavolo).

 

 

Serves 4

 

Stilton on horseback

ingredients

1)175g stilton mature cheese rind removed, cut into 16 pieces

2)2 stalksof celery, thickly sliced

3)16 large pitted prunes (prugne  snocciolate)

4)225g bacon strips

 

method

Make a cut down the side of each prune, put a piece of sthilton into each prune and wedge in  with slices of celery. Cut the strips of bacon in half, wrap the prunes and set onto a rack ready for grlilling.

Cook 10\12 minutes under a moderate grill, turning once.

Serve warm with cool drinks

 

Serves 4-6