Nestled in the rolling countryside outside Pienza in Tuscany's fertile Val d'Orcia, famous for Italy's famous pecorino, Podere Il Casale, one of the most spectacular and authentic organic farms in Tuscany that has been a labour of love for owners Sandra and Ulisse Brändli for almost 30 years. Podere il Casale is a working farm, cooking school, winery, and award-winning restaurant known for its sensational organic Tuscan cuisine. Following the rhythms of nature, it's a unique place in the world, producing good and healthy food. This was the dream that drove Sandra and Ulisse to move to Pienza in 1991 and found Podere Il Casale. "We're a small organic farm dedicated to helping our guests get closer to the source of their food, with cooking or cheesemaking classes and a fabulous restaurant where you can enjoy home-cooked Tuscan meals and an incredible sunset almost every evening." We arrived for a 2-hour cheesemaking demonstration with Ullise as well as being shown around the farm including the dairy, stables, and organic garden, after which we enjoyed a delicious long leisurely lunch under the pergola with breathtaking views over the Tuscan countryside.
Podere il Casale sign directing us to reception where we met Ulisse
Looking over the valley and the flock of sheep belonging to Podere il Casale
Sheep are key players to much of the cheese made on the farm
Both goat and sheep milk is used in making the farm's chèvre, feta, pecorino, yogurt and ricotta
Ulisse brought a pot of fresh goat milk to start our cheese lesson
Using a small burner, Ulisse poured the goat milk in a pot to begin our lesson
in making fresh goat cheese
Ulisse brings the goat milk up to temperature over low heat then adds a wee bit of rennet
to start the process of firming up the milk to make cheese
After about and hour, the milk begins to firm up and falls away from the edge of the pot,
which shows the rennet has done it's job
Using a small knife, Ulisse slices the cheese mixture to encourage the whey and curd to separate
Ulisse spoons out a little of the fresh cheese for us to have a taste of the young cheese,
which was warm, silky and very mild
Once diced, the curds and whey are reset over the heat
And the mixture separates even further as it cooks over low heat, with the whey becoming more obvious.
Ricotta is then made from cooking the whey - who knew?
Ulisse then spoons the curds into small perforated pots and then gently presses the mixture down
to help drain out the whey
The whey easily drains from the pots due to all the holes
The cheese is then removed and turned over so that the bottoms are now the tops and quite smooth
After showing us how to make homemade cheese, Ulisse took us for a tour
through Podere il Casale's cheese making room
Homemade pecorino with some of the cheese soaking in a salted brine
Gorgeous mold-ripened goat cheese
Ulisse showing us two goat cheese at different stages - one is perfectly mold-ripened
and the other has a few months to go
A pail of homemade feta made from goat's milk
Once the pecorino is removed from the brine, it's stored in the cheese room
where it matures
The path up to the stables
The goats are nestled in the shade which was understandable,
as it was around 36°C
Living a wonderful life on the farm, the goats even smile
The staff's outdoor dining area
Podere il Casale organic garden which grows all the beans and vegetables served in the restaurant
The lovely dining pergola in the outdoor garden which overlooks Pienza's spectacular Val'd-Orcia
A beautiful setting - a memorable day
Our server presenting a delicious local chardonnay which we will enjoy with our lunch
Light, delicate and beautifully chilled, perfect on this hot afternoon
Homemade bread made from grain grown and harvested on the farm
Podere il Casale olive oil, harvested from the farm's olive grove
Place setting with linen napkins
Grilled goat milk Tomme cheese amuse-bouche with thick apple compote,
made with apples from Podere il Casale's organic garden
The tangy cheese balanced beautifully with with lovely sweet apple compote
Baked Savoury Ricotta Cake with fresh sage
Panzanella Salad, a rustic Tuscan summer dish made with stale bread,
tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion and basil
Cannellini Bean, Apple and Celery Salad with fresh rosemary and basil
Fresh greens fresh from the organic garden
Fresh Goat's Milk Cheese with olive oil, which we made earlier in the day with Ulisse
Organic Durum Wheat Pasta with tomatoes and zucchini, all organically made
at Podere il Casale
A spectacular Cheese Course of all Podere Il Casale cheeses,
served and described by Ulisse
A selection of ricotta, goat, pecorino, feta and cheese which we made earlier,
served with bay leaf honey and watermelon chutney
Plum Cake
Podere il Casale Honey for sale in their small shop
A selection of Podere il Casale cheeses are also available in the shop
Tortilla filled with Washed Rind Cheese with Pea Cream
Recipe courtesy of Podere il Casale
300 g of Type 1 flour
200 g of stone-ground semolina
10 egg yolks
100 g of egg white
Filling:
200 g of washed rind cheese
200 g of sheep ricotta
Little fresh cream
1 Yolk
Salt and pepper
Pea Cream:
300 g of peas
1/2 Shallot
Extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper q.b.
First you have to cook the peas in boiled water. Meanwhile, create the pasta by combining the flour, egg yolks and egg whites. Work well and, once the mass is created, let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. For the filling cut your rind cheeses into cubes and place them in a boul. Heat some cream and when it comes to a boil, add it to the washed rind cheese, stirring vigorously with a whisk. Leave to cool in the fridge and then add the ricotta and the yolk.
Meanwhile sauté the shallot with a sprig of thyme. Add the whipped peas, stretch with a little water and let it cook. Season with salt and pepper. At this point roll out the dough, create your tortelli and cook in plenty of salted water. After 4 min, drain and polish them in a little bit of hazelnut butter.
To serve, pour a little peas cream into the dish, lay the tortelli over it and garnish with the herbs, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil.
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