Hi from Catalonia

[Albert]

First of all, excuse me if my english is too bad. I'm sorry...
Just registered at CF and trying to learn a lot reading this amazing site.
I'm from Catalonia, northern Spain for the moment, but probably the next state in Europe. I've starting making some "recuit", "formatge fresc" and now I will try to make some ripened cheeses.
Hi to everyone, and pleased to be here!!!

[Tiarella]

Welcome Albert!  My daughter moved to Spain when she was 16 and lived there for 7 years, the last few years up in the north in Gijon.  She loved it there but finally came back here to go to college.

Your English is great. I am pretty new to this forum as well and I agree that the amount of info here is wonderful, overwhelming and hard to sort through; all at the same time.  Lots of really helpful people here.  If you have trouble finding something on the forum someone will usually point you in the right direction.

[Spellogue]

Welcome Albert!  I love Spanish cheeses.  I have a Beira Baixa and what started out a a manchego.  They are of course only loose approximations of the real thing. I made the manchego with goats' milk rather than sheeps' and it managed to pick up a hint of b.l. on the rind.  The Beira Baixa was made with what i think is the right blend of milks, but I can't find the real thing in Ohio to use as a benchmark.   I'll enjoy seeing your comments when I cut into them.

[Albert]

Tiarella and Spellogue: thanks for your welcome.
Spellogue, the Beixa Baixa cheeses are from Portugal, not from Spain, but yes, they are amazing cheeses. I would recommend you cheeses like Torta del Casar from Extremadura or Idiazabal from Navarra-Basque Country. Take a look on the net also at the Recuit de drap, an incredible and very special kind of ricotta from Catalonia.
BR

[Spellogue]

Yes, Beira Baixa is Portuguese.  I was just so excited to mention it to an Iberian.  I can only hope my attempt comes close to the real thing.   I sampled some Idiazabal once.  Is it coagulated with thistle? It is a smoked sheeps milk cheese if I remember correctly.  Very nice.  Poles make somthing similar called Oscypek, but it is more of a ricotta salata in the make.  Manchego and "Iberico" are the most readily available Spanish cheese where I live.  I'll have to seek out some of that Casar.  If you have a recipe I'd love to try making it.

[Albert]

yes, you remember correctly about Idiazabal. Is not coagulated with cardoon. The recuit de drap and also the Torta del Casar are both made with cardoon, vegetable rennet. I grow my own cardoons also. We use this kind of vegetable rennet only in the south and the east coast (mediterranean) of Iberia.
Take a look here:

http://www.tortadelcasar.eu/

and here: 

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ca&tl=en&u=http://masmarce.com/


BR