Sierra de Albarracín Cheese is launching a its new web and online shop

We are happy to announce you that we have upgraded our webpage and online shop. As we consider IT technologies capital for us, we needed to change the look of our old webpage and to improve its functionality. We start 2015 with this new look!

2006 -2009

2010-2014

The audiovisual content is paramount in the new webpage as it let us promote our products and our city, Albarracín, as a touristic destination.

NEW WEB

Our new webpage displays a responsive design, so our content is optimized for mobile devices and new technologies. 

Visiting our webpage and shopping from your cell phone is easier than ever.

We believe that we must be more competitive everyday, that is why our corporate image and online presence must follow our brand values.

We would like to receive your feedback about the new web design.

Come visit our online store! You won´t regret!

We are "Chinese friendly"!

Last 29th of August due to a Press Trip promoted by Aragonese tourism department, we had a pleasant meeting with a Chinese journalists group who came and visited “Quesería de Albarracín”.

They toured most important touristic sites in Aragon, one of which is the beautiful village of Albarracín. In our cheese factory they had the chance to discover our range of products and careful production process.

Tourist gastronomy is a good way to discover the places history and in this case our goat´s cheese offers a superb chance.

We are "Chinese friendly"! A pleasure to have welcomed the @aragonturismo Press Trip in our Quesería:-) #Albarracín pic.twitter.com/tKjdHmKDTR
— Albarracín Cheese (@CheesefromSpain) agosto 29, 2014

We are grateful for being part of the amazing Albarracín touristic offer and we thank our Trip press visitors, hoping they enjoyed as much as we did. If you wish wider information of our products you can visit our webpage and online shop.

Hope to see you again and you will always be welcomed!!

Fried goat’s cheese with green tomato preserve

INGREDIENTS:
Albarracín cheese (creamy goat’s cheese)
breadcrumbs
For 3 kilos of preserve:
2.5 kilos of green tomatoes
1.5 kilos of sugar
1/2 litre of water
the juice of two lemons
a vanilla pod
1 decilitre of rum

METHOD:

Cut the cheese into circles. Coat in breadcrumbs and fry in sunflower oil. To make the tomato preserve (there will be more than you need), scold the tomatoes in hot water and peel. Cut in half and remove the pips and the juice. Boil the sugar and the water together for about 15 minutes until a thick syrup is formed. Add the tomatoes, lemon juice and vanilla. 

Cook on a medium heat, stirring frequently, for 45 minutes or until the tomatoes are translucent and the syrup has thickened. Add the rum and allow to cool. Serve the cheese with the tomato preserve on the same plate.

Source: El gizado sefaradí recipe book

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.

Ham and cheese roll recipe

Ham and cheese roll which is great for breakfast or snacks. The ingredients are simple and the procedure is very easy.

You will need:

4 slices Sierra de Albarracin cheese

4 slices ham

1 or 2 eggs beaten
panko breadcrumbs – these are flaky breadcrumbs used in japanese cuisine as crunchy coating for fried foods

Directions

Place 1 cheese slice on each ham slice and carefully roll the ham. Then, dip the rolled ham in beaten egg and coat it with panko bread crumbs. Fry until golden brown.. Then, dip the rolled bread in beaten egg and coat it with panko bread crumbs. Fry until golden brown.

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.

Recipe adapted from: www.recetaycocina.com

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!

Artisanal sausage roll with cheese and vegetables

Source: Mr Michael Phams en Flickr

Ingredients:

• Shortbread pastry
• Artisanal sausage
• Grated cheese Sierra de Albarracín (choose one)
• 1 onion
• 1 courgette
• Cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper 

Preparación:

1. Peel, chop and fry the onion and the courgette. Cook on a low heat until they get both soft.
2. Strain off the surplus liquid (broth) and keep it apart.
3. Fry the sausages on a high heat so you Brown them a little one the outside while keeping them not so cooked on the inside part.
4. Knead the shortbread pastry with an oval shape.
5. Spread over the shortbread pastry the cheese, vegetables and the cayenne pepper.
6. Add the sausages and season it with the salt and pepper.
7. Fold the shortbread pastry as so making a roll.
8. Put everything in the oven, preheated to maximum temperature during 15 minutes.

Once it´s cooked, you can use the broth previously kept to spread it on top of the roll together with some natural tomato salsa.

Now you just have to enjoy the meal.

Don´t forget that you´ll always have us on our website and also the online store, to provide you some of the most awarded cheeses in Spain.

Madrid Gourmet Fair 2013. A real experience for all the senses.

Not long ago, the most important gastronomy fair took place in Madrid; the “Salón Gourmet 2013”(Spanish).

As you can imagine, we had to be there and so we did, to show our cheese to a very exquisite audience, among many other culinary delights, high quality ingredients and products and also the most select palates. 

We went there together with a varied group of delicatessen producers from our region, Teruel and also with a little representation of our provincial government. We all had the purpose to offer the best products from our land, Teruel, to people who know much about quality products and flavours. 

It was a fair that lasted 4 days (8th – 11th April) but it was never too tiring or long since it was full of new things to discover, to try and experience. 

Among all the activities we found the “gourmet senses workshop”, a space in which people could play with their senses around gastronomy. 

“Different tunnels, workshops and corners – for wine, bread, beer, coffee, olive oil, cheese, vegetables, fruit, etc. –come near the Senses Square, space conceived as an agora where all the activities take place” Fair´s website

Furthermore, there was a special corner specialized on our favourite subject: cheese, the Gourmetquesos 2013.

There people could learn thanks to the different workshops offered and related to cheese tasting. These were oriented for both, professionals and fans of this highly valued product.

We list below the different activities offered:

• Tasting and sensory analysis workshops.
• Cheese slicing art and the different utensils used.
• Cheese boards preparation.
• Tasting for kids.

At the cave of Taste, a pedagogical place where many different activities about cheese occurred, people could find different speeches about the typology, production, service and harmonies between cheese and many different beverages.

   

In short, attending to this Gourmet Fair was a gift for the senses, especially taste. It was a huge pleasure to find out that there was a special interest on the world of cheese. It was a great surprise and a new way to keep on learning with the purpose to develop better and better.

If we couldn´t find each other at the fair, you know that our website and the online store will always be opened for you. In the case you decide to go by the beautiful village Albarracín, Teruel, you´ll be able to find us there, surrounded by both, architectural and natural beauty.

See you soon!  

1st International Congress of Truficulture in Teruel

Along this week we´ve had the honor of hosting the First International Congress of Truficulture.

Source: coiaanpv

Teruel has been the city chosen to gather the most important truffle experts in the world (France, Italy, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Israel). There, they´ve had 4 days to discuss and learn old and new techniques of cultivation and crop of the considered black diamond of gastronomy.

The two main objectives have been:

1. Share knowledge among researchers, managers and producers about the new scientific discoveries in the field of truffles. They also wanted to promote a sustainable production of truffles in many different territories.
2. Transfer worries and initiatives of the scientists with the truffle professionals, specially the inhabitants of Teruel, where 20% of the global production happens.

If you want to know what they´ve been doing, here´s a link to the program.

Because it was such a great event taking place so close from us, we couldn´t resist and decided we had to be there. Here is a picture of our stand, FULL OF CHEESE; a cheese lover´s dream come true.

In Quesería Sierra de Albarracín, we didn´t go mad and decided we are going to change our business. We still love cheese too much, but we are proud to share with you this event that has taken place so close from us, in our home.

Apart from that, we´d like to remind you one of our gastronomy suggestions in this blog, the cheese cubes with truffles and olive oil. Everybody knows that the Mediterranean Diet is healthy and good for you, but we don´t think anybody knows how delicious it can really be until this easy dish is tried.

Our cheese advise depends on each person´s taste; We have our soft Blue Label cheese for delicated palates. If you rather stronger flavours we recommend Golden Label or Silver Label, both hard cheeses full of different nuances.

Please, remember you will always be welcome in our home, Albarracín and, if it´s too far from you here you have our web and online store.

See you soon and enjoy your meal! ;)

Gold Medal Fondue Recipe

It´s time to enjoy snow, stay at home and warm up with a delicious fondue. Would you like to know how to have a “Gold Medal” fondue?

Follow the easy steps and get ready to repeat soon, it won´t be enough to taste it just once.

Ingredients:

9 ounces Blue Label Cheese

9 ounces Gold Label Cheese

* Both cheeses above have been Gold Medal winners on the World Cheese Awards.

** If you want to give it a special touch, we suggest you to also add a little portion of Green Label Cheese, with rosemary rind.

1 clove garlic

1c. Apple juice

3T. Lemon juice

1T. Cornstarch

Sweet paprika

Freshly ground nutmeg

Directions:

Rub the pot with the garlic and add the apple juice and then start heating slowly.

When it begins to bubble, stir in the previously grated or crumbled the cheeses. Keep on having the heat low and when the cheese is melted, mix the cornstarch and the lemon juice until smooth, stir the mixture into the fondue pot until thickened.

Season with paprika and nutmeg and voilà, c'est fini!

You can serve it with many delicious bites. We suggest you the following ones:

• Cubes of French bread (typical).
• Apple slices.
• Broccoli.
• Carrots.
• Little smokies.

What we know for sure is that the fondue you make won´t disappoint you since all the ingredients are delicious by themselves.

Our cheeses will make of the fondue a special snack you won´t forget.

If you want to know more about us don´t forget to visit us on our web.

See you soon!

The Origin of Cheese

Not long ago this information was the “trending topic” of the world of cheese; there is finally a certain evidence of the origins of cheese and an accurate date of such moment instead of the, until now, lapses taken which could include centuries or even millenniums.

We don´t know if this was the real origin of cheese, but it´s at least the earliest solid evidence of its existence. It was around 7500 years ago in a region that nowadays is Poland.

“Though there is no definitive test for cheese, we found large amounts of fatty milk residue on the pottery shards compared to cooking or storage pots from the same sites” said Richard Evershed at the University of Bristol.

That seems to be enough to prove that some of the sieves found in Poland were used to separate fatty curds from the liquid whey, all of this in a crude cheese-making process.

“It’s a very compelling forensic argument that this was connected to cheese” Evershed said. He also said that the discovery of cheese-making was a  major development for Neolithic people and gave an extra survival advantage since they could get more essential calories, minerals and proteins thanks to this way of milk preservation which was also benefitial to have reserves when food was scantly, specially in winter time.

Cheese also helped to make Neolithic diet a little more diverse. “Food was incredibly dull and monotonous” said Paul Kindstedt, a professor of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Vermont who didn´t take part in the study.

These “Neolithic cheeses” were sure non-perishable and quite pungent. “They wouldn´t be the first choice for many people now, but anyway I´d still love trying them” confirmed Kindstedt.

What´s sure is that the evolution of cheese has been constant since it was first made. Right now there are so many kinds of cheese that trying each one would be almost impossible to imagine.

Here in Sierra de Albarracin cheese factory, we use only fresh sheep's milk obtained exclusively from the livestock owned by the dairy itself, following the strictest standards in terms of nutrition and hygiene. The entire process perfectly balances traditional craft methods with the very latest technological developments.

We are waiting for you in our factory but also in our web, where you´ll be always welcome!

Post extracted from the online National Post

Christmas Cheese Balls

This Christmas time we offer you a recipe to prepare a cold-snack dish with cheese that everyone will love.

The cheese ball is traditional for this time of the year and it´s also very easy to make.

Source: Chris Buecheler in Flickr

INGREDIENTS

• 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened.
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheese, Golden Label (Gold Medall of World Cheese Awards 2010)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion.
• 1 tablespoon diced Green peppers.
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce.
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
• Chopped toasted pecans (as much as you want).
• Chopped toasted almonds (ídem).
• Finely chopped dehydrated pineapple or apricot.
• Assorted crackers.

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients but the pecans, almonds and fruits. Shape into three balls. If you see them too little you can just shape them into two or add more quantity of all the ingredients.

Once everything is well mixed, roll each ball in the pecans, almonds or fruits. Make sure the cheese ball is well covered and let it chill.

Whenever you want to serve the balls, we suggest you to remove them from the refrigerator 15 minutes before.

Serve with crackers and enjoy!

On Christmas time we don´t forget about you and would like you to don´t forget about us. Let´s share the same table and have us with you. It´s easy through our online store or web.

MERRY CHEESEMAS!