A NIGHT CELEBRATING PECORINO ROMANO PDO WITH CHEF KISHEN JAGMOHAN
Chef de Cuisine Kishesn Jagmohan
If you’re in the know then you know that hidden in plain sight on the eighth floor of Macy’s, yes the iconic department store in New York City’s Herald Square, is De Gustibus Cooking School. When you walk in, you first take note of the walls adorned with photos of chefs who have taught a minimum of two times, chefs you know, photos of chefs like Julia Child, Johnathan Waxman, and Daniel Boulud are hanged amongst the frames of names you know well. Helmed for the last fourteen years by Sal Rizzo, De Gustibus is an intimate demonstration kitchen where the best of the best chefs showcase their off-the-menu skills. I was recently invited to an event where there were two stars of the night, Chef de Cuisine of Riverpark Kishen Jagmohan and Pecorino Romano PDO. I eagerly RSVPed with a resounding “Yes!”.
Throughout the evening, Chef Kishen showcased several dishes around the aromatic, lightly spicy, nutty, and sharp flavors of Pecorino Romano PDO. What I discovered firsthand—mmmm, “first bite”?—is that this cheese can be used in a myriad of ways because of how well-balanced and not overpowering it is. Pecorino Romano PDO should be used to effortlessly elevate any dish by shaving it on top. That, or you can work with it like Chef Kishen did by piling it up on a baking sheet, spreading it into an even disc, baking it, molding it over a cup, and have a Pecorino Romano PDO bowl that became the star of the dish. With Pecorino Romano PDO, it seems you can play and feel confident in that it’s pretty hard to go wrong.
Chef Kishen truly emphasized the versatility of this Pecorino Romano PDO in a way that both honored and celebrated it. The dishes were creative, dynamic, and beautiful without being unapproachably pretentious. I loved each and every one.
“I’M A FAT KID AT HEART. I MAKE FOOD THAT I WANT TO EAT”
— KISHEN JAGMOHAN CHEF DE CUISINE AT RIVERPARK
Envision the evening’s flavor tour with me. We started with a Pecorino Romano PDO Brodo with Pickled Mushroom and Cheese Cracker. I’m not going to lie, I was wowed. The flavor of this simple-looking golden broth was rich, complex, and exciting. Pairing this smooth liquid with an air puff crisped crunchy cracker was my favorite part of the night. This broth was incorporated in the roasted tomato risotto in the main dish … but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Following the brodo canapé was a hands-on experience where we, the guests, were invited to learn how to make a Pecorino Romano PDO Tartlet with Crispy Mushroom, Shallot, Watercress, and Chives appetizer. We dawned our aprons and lined up at our workstations and followed the instructions on how to transform grated Pecorino Romano PDO into crispy delicious tart shells—I’m not going to lie, I am absolutely going to be making my own version of these at home this season—it’s so simple and rewarding!
After this, we sat down and ate Pecorino Romano PDO Crusted Black Cod with Roasted Tomato Risotto—yes, this is the risotto that was opened up during the cooking process using the brodo we enjoyed during the canapé portion of the evening—Mascarpone, and Lemon. Chef Kishen demonstrated how to make the dish while we enjoyed eating it—it’s like my childhood dream of smell-o-vision leveled up and became taste-o-vision and finally came true.
We then finished off our flavor tour by experiencing Pecorino Romano PDO incorporated into a sweet dish, a Pecorino Romano PDO Panna Cotta with Plums and Meyer Lemon where the Pecorino Romano was mixed with brown sugar, baked and then crumbled so that it very closely resembled bacon but when tasted gave that enjoyable sweet-savory crunch that perfectly balanced out the otherwise extra creamy dish.
If I were to tell you that Chef Kishen came up with this menu in two days, you may wonder, “How?”.
“I HAVEN’T SAID THIS YET BUT MY BRAIN WORKS KINDA WEIRD.”
— KISHEN JAGMOHAN CHEF DE CUISINE AT RIVERPARK
He starts with the base of the dish thinking of the vegetables and grains that he wants to combine and then works out his thoughts as to what protein pairs best with it. Whether or not that’s weird, I’m not the person to say, what I will say is that between Chef Kishen’s genius, and methods, paired with the quality of the Pecorino Romano PDO, dinner was wonderful.
ALL ABOUT PECORINO ROMANO PDO CHEESE
Allow me to emerge from behind the scenes of this dining experience to dive down a rabbit hole and take you on a brief exploration of Pecorino Romano PDO. Why? Cause I find it cool and think you will too.
First things first, let’s start with the name because sometimes a name is just a name, and other times, like in this case, it tells a story. The word “Pecorino” comes from the Italian word for sheep “pecore” to honor the sheep that produce the milk that is then transformed into this cheese. The “Romano” comes from the fact that this cheese and the methods to make it date back to the Roman era when it was considered a delicacy when served at banquets and used as a sustaining fuel suited to satiate soldiers on long marches—perhaps that’s why they had the mental capacity for all of their strategic battle methods. I digress. Then, there’s the “PDO”, an acronym for “Protected Designation of Origin” which acts as a stamp of approval from the European Union that is only granted after a rigorous selection process with key factors attributed to a superior quality of the product with a focus on the process of making it and the location in which it is made—in this case, it must be made in Sardinia, Lazio and Grosseto.
If you’re a cheeseboard fiend, like myself, you know how well wine and cheese play together. Would it surprise you to know that much like wine, Pecorino Romano PDO also has a variety of aging periods? The wheels are aged for a minimum of five months. In its grated form, Pecorino Romano PDO must be aged for at least 8 months. The longer it ages, the harder the cheese and the sharper its flavor. That’s not all, wine and cheese share similarities originating in the environment they are produced. Where the flavors of wine develop from its surroundings from soil to climate, so does cheese. Let’s get back to those namesake sheep—ahem, pecore. The flocks of pecore live in the grassy wild where they happily munch on grass. Those happy pecore are the ones who produce the milk that is then measured, filtered, processed, treated with a culture called “scotta grafting”, broken down into curds as fine as a grain of wheat, cooked, molded into cylindrical wheels, branded, and then salted three to six times to preserve the centuries-old traditional iconic flavors that define Pecorino Romano PDO.
Suffice it to say, that Pecorino Romano PDO is among the world’s most versatile cheeses, from the dishes made with it to the multiple ways it is aged, produced, and forms it is sold. Use it as the base for your recipes, and also use Pecorino Romano PDO on top of your dishes—it incorporates so effortlessly, so use it always.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or of the granting authority. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
