Cheeses "La Cava de Mia", the first refining cellar in Spain

"La Cava de Mia" the first cheese ripening cellar, unique in its kind, was presented on July 6th to the press, collaborators and friends of Cheeses Sierra de Albarracín.

Coinciding with our tenth anniversary, we decided to build this limestone cellar obtained from its environment which reproduces the conditions of a natural cave but having the latest technology. This allows a maximum control of temperature, humidity and aeration, favoring the implementation of a unique and exclusive flora cheeses, consisting of mildew (Penicillium candidum), yeasts,... which gives them their own personalitys as they mature on wooden shelves (sabina).

The human factor plays a fundamental role, as the cheeses are turned daily and changed of place periodically, in order to ensure a higher homogeneity in each shipment.

"La Cava de Mia" has a production capacity of 6,000 kilos per year of these sheep milk cheeses produced exclusively from the cattle owned by the Dairy and processed according to strict guidelines about food and hygiene.

Here is where our two new gastronomic treasures under this brand will be refined:
- Soft cheese with four weeks of maturation (150g).
- Pressed cheese with three months of maturation (750g).

Two new cheeses in which we have been working for a long time performing tests with different formats and textures, with different ripening times and observing the possibilities offered by these exclusive facilities.

Maturing cheese with organoleptic high-tech needs to have a good quality milk and follow a methodology and appropriate protocol to ensure the safety and wholesomeness of the final product. Thus, cheeses refined in "La Cava Mia" are unique products which have unique and unrepeatable textures and flavors.

"La Cava de Mia" comes from a complex project that began a year ago, with the idea of creating a place for cheeses which could mature in the same way as they have done since time immemorial: in contact with nature. The goal is to produce cheese with increasing quality and greater recognition, without losing the artisan value as differential element of our cheeses. Under these assumptions we decided to build "La Cava de Mia", a unique space within the Quesería in Albarracín becoming the first cheese refining cave in Spain.

"La Cava Mia" is a tribute to the tradition and culture of the environment, as it's represented by a symbol extracted from a cave painting in Pinares del Rodeno, which provided food and shelter for man for centuries. At the same time, it takes the name of the daughter of Alberto Asensio, director of Quesos Sierra de Albarracin, as her birth gift.

The opening of "La Cava Mia"

Its inauguration took place on July 6 in the presence of the Quesos Sierra de Albarracín team, headed by Alberto Asensio, as well as reference journalists in the Aragonese gastronomy, project collaborators, friends and prescribers.

Our sincere thanks to the sponsors of this special event: Antonio Jimenez, Managing Director of the Santa María de Albarracín Foundation and Maria Jose Meda, Michelin star chef of "Hospedería El Batan".

After the emotional welcome, we visited the cheese factory where Alberto Asensio explained in detail all the production stages while the smell of cheese wheted the appetite of the attendees.

Then, in small groups, the attendees could enter into the cave and learn about the maturation process of these new cheeses. José Luis Martin, Master Refiner and Collaborator, explained the highlights of "La Cava de Mia". (check out the video above)

Finally, the most awaited moment came: the tasting of the first soft and pressed cheeses "La Cava de Mia". A cheese tasting guided by José Luis, brilliantly to not miss a single nuance.

The private lunch celebration took place in the restaurant "Tiempo de Ensueño", owned by Chef Maria Jose Meda and Sebastian Rosello in Albarracin, where we enjoyed a delicious menu with great presence of other concerning products and ingredients from Aragon. Amazing.

After a morning full of gastronomic pleasures, nothing better than ending the day with the great Albarracín Cathedral, when the Foundation celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Gracias querido Antonio por mostrar el valor de nuestro patrimonio en la Catedral de de #Albarracín #LaCavadeMía pic.twitter.com/1pUG5h06HV

— Albarracín Cheese (@CheesefromSpain) 6 de julio de 2016

In short, all our high expectations for this day were perfectly fulffilled.

Thanks to all who joined us and made possible this unforgettable day. Now, it's time to share "La Cava de Mia" with all of you.

Merry Christmas. Our best wishes with our best cheeses.

From Quesos Sierra de Albarracin, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year 2016 full of joy and health.

To make the most of these special days we'd like to share with you our best and winning cheeses.

Thank you for your continued confidence that you have placed in our gourmet products. We hope to keep surprising you with the best flavors from Spain in 2016.

Our best wishes with our best cheeses.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tribute to Wine Cheese from Albarracín.

Wine is one of the most importants products of Spain due to its cultural tradition and its important meaning on our mediterranean gastronomy and diet. There are those who say, wine started to be produced on the Iberian Peninsula during the Bronze Age.

Thousands years later, the consumption of wine went worldwide and are many, the companies innovating and experimenting with their own products that combined with red wine creating unique result.

At our Quesería de Albarracín, we elaborate Wine Cheese with 100% sheep milk pasteurized.

The final product has been awarded on many national and international events and competitions such as the feria de otoño Biescas, or the world cheese awards, getting the gold medal.

For the cheese, we have an own ranching there in the Sierra of Albarracín (Spain), surrounded by montains, where we breed cattles and take the pure pasteurized sheep milk that we marinate with wine resulting in a special touch with an different soft taste. 

The wedge is excellent for special occasions.

700 gr. Format is excellent for families.

3 kg. Format is for those cheese lovers.

Further information and purchases under our online shop

Hollywood stars are chosing our cheeses!

Ridley Scott recorded part of "The Kingdom of Heaven" in Aragón, "The Bourne ultimátum" from Paul Greengrass chose Madrid, and now the irish Terry George (Hotel Rwanda) has chosen our landscapes for his new movie named "The Promise" set during the last days of the Ottoman Empire.

The Promise follows a love triangle between Michael (Oscar Isaac), a brilliant medical student, the beautiful and sophisticated Ana (Charlotte Le Bon), and Chris (Christian Bale), a renowned American journalist based in Paris.

Our cheeses to roll on the red carpet.

Concretely Óscar Isaac came to our cheese shop at Albarracin last weekend to know about and buy our products where he was attended by Maribel, one of our workers.

Oscar is one of the main characters of this new big screen that is transforming our city into a true middle age hamlet.

Try the cheeses of the starts here.

Further film information here.

About us!

The cheeses from "Quesería de Albarracín" are being sold in Dubai with Mariscal & Sarroca.

 

Mariscal&Sarroca is an Spanish enterprise headquartered in the Region of Aragón and specialised in selling and exporting gourmet Spanish products,"the flavours of Spain".

It is conquering the Middle East with more than 1000 Spanish products already tasted over there.Among many others, such as the extra virgin olive oil with gold, or with saffron, there are some of the best cheeses from our "Quesería de Albarracín". Our cheeses have been top considered and awarded in many trade fairs and events like the Global Village or the Gulfood Trade Show Dubai. 

Detail in Spanish of the magazine ""Actualidad de las Empresas Aragonesas"" (May 2015)
about Mariscal & Sarroca and Cheeses From Albarracín. 

Our "Don Manuel" and "Blue label" are two of the most popular cheeses sold in these markets. The "Blue Label" cheese has been included at the 101 best cheeses in the world by Culture Magazine in 2013. 

From Quesería de Albarracín we want to especially congratulate Mariscal&Sarroca and thank them for trusting in the quality of our products. They are one of our distributors for the Middle East and in the U.K.

Looking forward to success!

Albarracin, World Heritage City.

Albarracín is a Spanish town, up in the province of Teruel, two hours drive from Valencia, part of the autonomous community of Aragón, and capital of the Sierra de Albarracín Comarca.

A picturesque place, surrounded by stony hills, at 3900 feets above sea level, whoever visits the inner-city, gets instantly transported to the Middle Ages. 

Apparently unspoilt by modernization, walking towards the village evokes somehow a sense of wonder.

In 1961, the city was declared "Monumento Nacional" by the Spanish government. For decades, tourists came and went back home with an aim of repeating their experiences in the future, reason why, many media have considered and promoted the city to be one of the most beautiful villages in Spain.

Its medieval architecture and narrow streets have been proposed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. But we all know, is not only a matter of monuments, but a matter of how its 1075 inhabitans protect their cultural values as brave as their ancestors centuries ago.

Part of the culture and traditions, is the "Quesería de Albarracín". Following the production techniques of generations of shepherds and craftsmen, pair to pair with the most modern food technologies, create one of the most recognised cheeses in Spain. 

Baked potato recipe with cheese from Albarracín

Ingredients:

• 1 Kg potatoes (35 oz)

• 1 egg

• 1/2 cup Sheep Cheese from Albarracín Red Label

• 1 teaspoon minced onion 

• 1 teaspoon butter

• 1 litre of milk

• olive oil

• Salt & pepper to taste

Cooking…

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (360°F).
2. Cut the potatoes in 5cm slices.
3. Melt butter and olive oil in heavy pan. Add seasonings to melted butter. 
4. Stir butter and seasonings well. Add potatoes and stir until they are well cooked. Cook until browned, about 15 minutes.
5. Whisk the egg.
6. Arrange potatoe wedges in baking pan. Brush with the whisked egg over potatoes, add onion and cheese from Albarracín shavings on top.
7. Bake 45 minutes at 360ºF degrees. 

Our Cheese

Cheese from Albarracín (Red Label)

After half of the maturation period of minimum 6 months for pieces of 3 kg and 4 months for pieces of 700 g, the result is a product with a so called denomination “Red Label” which presents a golden pale cheese with medium sized cheese holes and a light smell of fermented milk.

If you want to buy the best Spanish Cheese, you are invited to visit our Online Shop. There you will find a wide selection of hard cheese and delicacies from our facilities in Albarracín.

Easy and Delicious Lettuce Salad Recipe with Cheese from Albarracín Spain

We share this easy and quick, but tasty recipe by chef Luis Estopiñán, in El Milagro Restaurant (Teruel, Spain).

To prepare this delicious salad you will need:

Ingredients

• 3.5 ounces lettuce
• 16 pieces of salting anchovies
• 1.7 ounces hard cheese from Albarracin
• 1.4 ounces cream cheese from Albarracin
• 0.7 ounces toasted almonds
• 0.7 ounces fresh raspberry
• 1.4 ounces Olive oil
• 0.5 ounces balsamic vinegar reduction
• Salt and pepper

You can find all Cheeses from Albarracin we have used in the recipe and the rest of our products in our shop online: http://quesodealbarracin.es/productos.html

Cream cheese from Albarracin      Hard cheese from Albarracin

Directions

1. Paint a circle in the centre of the plate where the salad will be served with the balsamic vinegar reduction and place the cream cheese from Albarracin inside the circle.
2. Now, place a line of lettuce over the cream cheese from Albarracin.
3. Then, place the anchovies over the lettuce and add some slices of hard cheese form Albarracin.
4. Finally, add the toasted almonds and the raspberry that has been previously hydrated whit olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!!

Source: www.heraldo.es

Gastro-tourism in Teruel, Spain

During the last month of March, it took place the Gastronomic fair “Gastro Mudejar”, dedicated to products from Teruel, the Spanish region where our exclusive cheeses come from, and of course, we didn’t miss the date.

A long the event, there was a huge amount of activities such as product tasting, gastronomic presentations, cooking demonstrations and even a cooking competition.

People attending the fair could taste our rewarded cheese by the World Cheese Awards and also enjoy tourism in Albarracín, one of the most beautiful and historic towns in Teruel, which has been declared National Monumet by the Spanish government, or visit Teruel, a legendary city thanks to the famous story of the Lovers of Teruel.

If you missed the fair, we encourage you to visit our website and see the entire world that surrounds the production of our cheese. Then you will understand why we are so proud of what we do and also of how we do it.

Enjoy!

Baked Cheese Crisp Recipe

This recipe will help you get a delicious, quick and easy presentation for a party or special meal, and just they have one ingredient: cheese!

Ingredients:
-7 ounces Sierra de Albarracin cheese (red label).

- 2 ounces flour.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Pile 1 to 4 Tablespoons of cheese on a baking sheet covered with flour. Flatten the tops so they are in more or less an even pile. Watch carefully for cheese to bubble and start to turn brown.

Bake 5 to 6 minutes until they are a light golden brown. It happens fast, so watch carefully.

Serving Suggestions: Fill with fruit, dip, salad. Spread flat ones with sugar-free jam (I'm not kidding), or any spread you want, or eat plain.

We encourage you to visit our website and see the entire world that surrounds the production of our cheese. Then you will understand why we are so proud of what we do and also of how we do it.

Sierra de Albarracín Cheese

ENJOY! :D

Photo: www.flickr.com

Recipe: lowcarbdiets.about.com

Spanish tapas - easy recipes with Sierra de Albarracín Cheese

Sierra de Albarracín Cheese

1. Don Mnauel Cheese Tapa

Ingredients:

• Sierra de Albarracin cheese Don Manuel
• slice of bread
• scallion
• tomatoes
• olive oil
• fresh basil (minced)

Preparation:

Saute the scallion with a little oil. Mix together the chopped tomatoes, scallion, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Chop basil and add oil.

To serve, toast slices of bread. Spoon a little tomato topping on to each piece of toast. Tear 5-6 slices of Cheese Don Manuel and put one piece on each slice of bread and spread with the basil oil.

2. Blue Label Cheese Tapa

Ingredients:

• Sierra de Albarracin Cheese Blue Label
• bread
• anchovy
• shallot
• tomato
• oregano

Preparation:

Mix together the anchovy, shallot, choped tomato, and put on each slide of bread, add oregano and cover with slide of cheese.

Bake tapas at 250° for 7 to 8 minutes or until cheese melts.

Enjoy!

...

If you want to buy the best Spanish Cheese, you are invited to visit our Online Shop. There you will find a wide selection of hard cheese and delicacies from our facilities in Albarracín.

Zucchini stuffed with cheese Sierra de Albarracin (blue label, green label with Rosemary or wine cheese)

This recipe with cheese is a great choice for a second course. The type of zucchini used (round) is not very common, but you can also do this recipe with a current long zucchini, as long as you are careful, of course. ;)

This recipe is easy and quick, with not so many ingredients; you just have to make sure that the quality of these is good enough in order to improve the flavour of the dish.

Ingredients:

• 4 round (when possible) zucchini
• Sierra de Albarracin cheese (either blue label, green label or wine cheese)
• 4 eggs
• Ham, salami or something similar… to taste
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Olive oil

Instructions:

Wash the zucchini, cut the upper side and then with a spoon empty the zucchini. If it´s not rounded, cut the pieces not longer than 2.5 in. and leave as bottom around 0.2 or 0.3 in. of zucchini.

Pour some water with salt in a pot and then boil the zucchini, upper side included. Once it´s well cooked, strain and let cool down for a while. 

Time to fill the zucchini with little pieces of ham, salami, etc… and also Sierra de Albarracín cheese:

The type of cheese chosen for the recipe is up to you, but here are our suggestions:

• BLUE LABEL for normal tender cheese taste. (This type of cheese was awarded with s Super-Gold medal the last Wolrd Cheese Awards 2012)
• GREEN LABEL (with rosemary) to add a Mediterranean touch.
• WINE CHEESE to make something totally different and surprise.

To finish the filling, add a whole egg in each zucchini and season to taste.

Put all the zucchini pieces in a pre-heated oven 180ºC (360ºF) for about 30 minutes.

The last but best step is to enjoy what you´ve cooked ;)

We are sure you will love this recipe and will cook it occasionally. From our part we assure the cheese will add a special touch to the whole dish.

You know you can find us in Albarracin, Teruel, Spain. But if we are too far, here´s a link to our website and the online store.

Thank you!

The recipe source is the following blog

One more year we are happy for attending the III Aragon region cheese tasting-contest, prize included!

During the weekend of 15^th – 16^th June 2013, we had the great pleasure to participate in the III Aragon region cheese tasting-contest, which took place in Biescas, a lovely village in the northern region of Aragon.

We were once again awarded, but this time we had to toe the line and accept the second prize on the category of ewe cheese.  

This time the kind of our Sierra de Albarracín cheese was the black label (100% sheep raw milk, cured hard cheese)

We are proud of our hard work and we have lots of fun during the weekend, surrounded by colleagues from our region, with whome one always learns.

We promise to be there next year and work even harder to get the first prize.

Thank you everyone for trusting in us and you know that you can always find us in our web and also the online store.

ENJOY!