A cheesy casserole to celebrate National Dairy Month

Anne Braly, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn.
·3 min read

Jun. 22—National Dairy Month has been around for a while. It started in 1937, as National Milk Month, as a way to sell excess milk during the warm summer months when refrigeration was a relatively uncommon thing. By 1939, it had become a celebration of more than just milk. National Dairy Month is an observance of everything dairy, from ice cream to cheese.

Cheesemaking has been around for thousands of years and is now a "thing" across the United States. In the Southeast, we have several cheesemakers who specialize in artisan cheeses, including Sweetwater Valley Cheese in Athens, Tennessee, and the award-winning Sequatchie Cove Creamery in Sequatchie Valley.

So while you're thinking about how you may want to celebrate this very important month, here's some interesting trivia that came across my desk from New York cheesemaker Brent Delman, known as "The Cheese Guy" in his neck of the woods. — The cheeses with which Americans are most familiar are made with milk from cows and goats. But cheese is also made with milk from reindeer, yaks, sheep and buffalo. The most-expensive cheese is made from the milk of Serbian donkeys. It's known as Pule cheese and runs around $600 for just 1 kilogram. That's about $300 per pound. It's produced by only one farm in the world in the Zasavica Special Nature Reserve in Serbia. — Scientists in Switzerland have researched the effect of music on cheese and concluded that a cow, goat, sheep — maybe even a donkey — produces milder cheese than that of an animal raised in silence. And animals that listen to hip-hop produce cheese with a slightly stronger flavor. Wonder who paid for that study? — America's favorite cheese is cheddar. More women prefer brie, and more men like blue cheese. Wonder how many women they surveyed? To me, brie has little flavor. I'm siding with the men on this one. — Mexican scientists are working to transform the waste left over from cheesemaking into biofuel. — A recent study found that wine and cheese consumption would also lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. It's wine-down Wednesday. Just saying.

Or enjoy your wine with some mac and cheese with this recipe from cookbook author Jamie Geller. Use a good-quality olive oil, she advises. And if you can't find pecorino cheese, substitute a good aged parmesan or asiago.

Penne, Broccoli and Pecorino Bake

1/2 pound penne pasta (preferably whole grain)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, such as Colavita

1/2 onion, chopped fine

1 clove garlic, minced

8 ounces broccoli florets, chopped

1 cup pecorino cheese, shredded

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups skim milk

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese

Boil the pasta per package directions until just cooked and al dente. Strain and place in a large bowl.

Meanwhile in a large pan, pour in oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic, sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli florets, and sauté until the broccoli is bright green, about 2 minutes. Add to pasta. Mix in cheese and spices.

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Clean out pan, and put back on medium heat. Melt 2 tablespoons butter, and whisk in all-purpose flour; cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes.

Whisk in milk gradually; cook, whisking constantly, 5 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat, and pour over broccoli and pasta, mix well. Add sun-dried tomatoes if using. (At this point you can refrigerate until ready to eat.)

Spray 4 large ramekins or a medium-size baking pan with cooking spray. Divide mixture among baking trays evenly. Top with grated pecorino, and bake 25 minutes. Enjoy hot and crispy.

Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com or annebraly.com.