Brocciu

Corsican brocciu is a delicious preparation made from sheep's or goat's whey that can be eaten sweet or savoury (brocciu omelettecannelloni, courgettes with brocciuor as a dessert, mixed with brandy and sugar, in ambrucciatta, fiadone).

How is the brocciu ?

Once the cheese has been made and the whey recovered, to which fresh milk is added, this mixture is heated to 75°, at which point the brocciu that appears on the surface and put it in the cajaghje (pans).

Our advice: brocciu is even better fresh on a slice of bread after cooling and draining, around 2 hours 30 minutes later. The brocciu can also be matured and dried for several weeks. Brocciu Passuwhich will be a little harder, between the cheese and the brocciuwith a saltier taste.

Its best tasting period is from November to June.. It is generally drunk at the end of a meal (sweetened with a drop of brandy).

Every year, it is one of the star products at the Foire du Fromage (Fiera di U Casgiu) from Venaco.

Le brocciu is used in many Corsican dishes, including pulenda, omelettes, cannelloni and stuffed vegetables.

It is also the basis of many pastries:

• Frittelle and manfare or manfarone di brocciu, (brocciu fritters),
• Migliacciu (leavened wheat flour pastry with eggs and fromage frais or brocciu),
• Fiadone a traditional Bastia dessert,
• Imbrucciate patisserie ajaccienne
• Falculelle Corten speciality.

Brocciu and PDO

Brocciu is the only product from Corsica's livestock sectors to be covered by thecertification. It benefits from a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) since 1998.

Syndicat A.O.C. Brocciu : 04 95 58 41 70 . More information on the following website: http://www.aop-brocciu.com/

Corsican recipes with brocciu

Brocciu omelette

Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 5 to 8 min depending on taste

Ingredients (serves 4) :
A few mint leaves
8 eggs
250 g brocciu
2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper

Realisation: Crush it brocciu using a fork, break the eggs and beat them with the brocciu with a whisk. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add the mint, cut into thin strips. Heat a frying pan with olive oil. Once the pan is hot, pour in the mixture.
Cook over a medium heat and serve the omelette slushy and lightly browned.

Fiadone according to Mrs Tamagna's recipe

Cake made with Brocciu :
Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 45 min

Ingredients (Serves 6) :
4 whole eggs
1 250 g brocciu
200g sugar
4 whole eggs
1 lemon, grated

To make: Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl using a mixer. Butter a 20 cm diameter cake tin and spread out the mixture.
Bake in the oven at gas mark 6 for 45 min.

Courgettes with Brocciu

Preparation time: 15 min
Cooking time: 15 min in a very hot oven

Ingredients (serves 5)
5 courgettes
1 brocciu 500g
2 eggs
100g chard a few basil leaves
4 slices of sandwich bread
50 cl milk, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper

In a pan of boiling water, blanch the courgettes and cook the chard (2 to 3 minutes). Cut the courgettes in half lengthways and core them. Crumble the sliced bread and soak in the milk until completely absorbed. Mix the brocciu with the beaten eggs, then add to the soaked sandwich bread. Chop the chard and basil leaves and add to the egg mixture. brocciu. Mix well with your hands. Stuff the courgettes with the aubergine mixture. brocciuSprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake in a hot oven (gas mark 7) for 15 minutes. Serve with a spicy tomato sauce.

Find other recipes at this address: http://www.aop-brocciu.com/