Rouxbe

How interchangeable are parmesan and pecorino romano?

I find substituting pecorino for parmesan difficult. Maybe it's just a personal preference, but I like the smoother taste of parmesan and when I have substituted pecorino in the past for lasagne the results just aren't the same.

I guess it depends on the type of pecorino you are using. I've had some lovely aged ones that are less "biting" in taste. It all comes down to what you like.

Carolyn, thanks for your input. Had pecorino but no parm so just changed plans until I can get to Victoria for some good parmesan.

"Occasionally, a recipe will call for either pecorino or Parmesan cheese. Both cheeses have a granular texture and a salty flavor. But before you indiscriminately substitute one for the other, keep their distinct characteristics in mind:

Pecorino (peh-kuh-REE-noh) is a term loosely applied to all Italian sheep's milk cheeses, which tend to be off-white and intensely salty. Only an aged pecorino should be used in place of Parmesan cheese; the most common variety is Pecorino Romano. It is
typically shaved or grated for a garnish or thinly sliced and drizzled with honey as dessert.

Parmesan is made from cow's milk and has a golden cast and a rich, buttery flavor. Rather than reach for the grated stuff in a green can, try full-flavored Parmigiano-Reggiano, which is aged a minimum of 24 months. By law, only cheese made in select Italian provinces, including Parma and Reggio Emilia, may be labeled Parmigiano-Reggiano." [end of the Review comment]

Now, given that one is a sheep's milk and the other a cow's milk cheese, there are primary differences in the underlying flavor of the cheese itself, beyond the saltiness issue. Sheep's milk is inclined to be more on the tart side, unless one is fortunate enough to locate it FRESHLY made. Then, it can have the creamy, buttery characteristics similar in nature to a parmagiano. As the Review indicated, parmagiano reggiano is more creamy and buttery in nature, as a matter of course, due to its regulated status.

With regard to your Lasagna, I've heard of recipes WITHOUT ricotta cheese being used, so, ????. For me, I need a good, freshly grated Parmagiano, ricotta cheese, with both a Bechimale and Ragu sauce, alternating, in layers, as my mom and grandma made it. Layered, preferably with homemade noodles (if I'm feeling ambiguous) and A LOT OF FAMILY TO SERVE IT TO!

The cheese lesson is one that should be included in the Rouxbe list of proper cooking knowledge. Cheese is a very complex and much misunderstood basic food group. It has been a part of the human food chain for thousands of years. Everyone needs to have a basic understanding of this basic food group to become a truly great cook.

Very Italian, on both sides of course, with the little Italian grandma (nonna) who gave recipes by measuring ingredients in the palm of her hand in very broken italian; I savor every single recipe and am fortunate to have learn at the apron of both her and my mom.

As I've announced on these boards before. And love being so. Cheese, I agree, is a basic food group. And given a very bad rap these days, if people did more things in moderation, they wouldn't be so frightened by such a beautiful food product. Some people are inherently fearful of "sheep" anything. They should have been at my house on Christmas eve and be presented with capuzzelle, they'd flip out literally, lose their "cookies" possibly. Oh well, different cultures. That's not to say it didn't take a little getting used to. En, such is life.