Description of red cheese Pesto, production algorithm and energy value. Benefits and harm to the human body. Cooking uses, what you need to know about the variety.
Red Pesto is a kind of semi-hard Dutch cheese with the taste of the Italian sauce of the same name, the hallmark of the national cuisine, the main ingredient of which is sun-dried tomatoes. The texture is dense, elastic; color - red, with multi-colored dots due to spices; a small number of unevenly distributed small eyes with uneven edges on the section; smell - bright, spicy, cheesy, pronounced; the taste is salty-spicy, oily, with a herbal tinge. In cylindrical heads weighing up to 3.5-4 kg - 50-51% fat, in those made as briquettes with rounded edges, from 1.5 to 3 kg - 45-48%.
How is red pesto cheese made?
The recipe was developed on the basis of the Dutch Gouda variety, with the introduction of ingredients that give a piquant smell and taste. The initial raw material is pasteurized milk of cows, the starter culture is mesophilic non-gas-forming bacteria, and the curd is calf rennet. Additives that give the original flavor are sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, oregano, dry garlic and purple basil. It is thanks to the last spice that the cheese acquires an original spicy-piquant smell.
This product is not vegetarian, not only due to the addition of an animal coagulation enzyme, but also the carmine dye. The ingredient is obtained from the cochineal beetles found in South America. They feed on the pulp and juice of the prickly pear cactus, so they turn red. Dried and crushed bugs are a must in red cheese.
They make red Pesto cheese, like Gouda, while maintaining the same temperature regime. But pre-grind flavors, pour boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat. Then it is filtered through a fine sieve and laid out to dry. The aromatic liquid is poured into the feedstock after pasteurization, cooled to a temperature that stimulates an increase in the activity of the starter culture - 30-32 ° C. While the milk is hot, you cannot add herbal ingredients - useful substances will be destroyed.
After establishing the desired temperature regime, the sourdough is poured onto the surface, allowed to soak, calcium chloride is poured in and stirred, distributing the ingredients throughout the volume. Liquid rennet and carmine dye are added, shaken again and wait for the calcium to form.
When a dense curd curd has formed, it is cut. The dimensions of the edges of the cheese grains are 1.5x1.5 cm. Stir, gradually increasing the temperature by 1 ° C per minute, up to 36-38 ° C, and allow to settle. Drain the whey by 1/3, add water at 60 ° C, repeat the stirring. Prepare the red Pesto cheese as hard varieties by washing the curd grains until they become firm and shrink to 0.6 mm in diameter.
The settled grains are scooped out from under the whey layer and laid out in molds. Allow to stand for 15 minutes on a drainage table. When the liquid separates, the level of the curd is reduced. It is allowed to fill the containers completely and repeat self-pressing. For 6-8 hours, oppression is set, turning the future heads every 2-3 hours. The weight of the load is increased every 1.5 hours by 1.5 kg. Start with 4-5 kg per 3 kg of semi-finished product.
During pressing, the curd mass must cool down. The molds are released, the heads are rubbed with dry salt and immersed in baths with 20% brine and a temperature of 10-12 ° C. Leave for 1, 5 days, turning 8-9 times, evaluating the salting.
The cheese is dried on a drainage table at a temperature of 18-20 ° C. The liquid should separate completely. Determine by feeling the surface with your palm. Once the surface of the Pesto is dry, the wax is prepared. Carmine is also added to it to give a bright red color. The wax is applied with brushes, in 2-3 layers. They wait until the coating hardens, and then the process is repeated. At the same time, plastic numbers are pressed in to mark the batch.
The heads are installed in chambers on metal or plastic racks. Air access is required not only from the sides, but also from below. Temperature - 11-12 ° С, humidity - 90%. Within 14 days, the position is changed 2 times a day, then - 1 time. Pesto is "visited" in the cell every 3 days. The wax coating should not be colonized by extraneous microflora - molds.
If dark spots or fluff appear on the surface, everything must be removed. To do this, use an acetic-salt brine. However, this does not mean that washing is required regularly. In the case when the microclimate in the chamber is constant, the heads are not wiped. The duration of maturation is 10-12 months.
Composition and calorie content of red pesto cheese
Additives to this variety are not typical for fermented milk products of this type. In addition to milk, sourdough and coagulant, the composition contains natural ingredients - tomatoes, nuts, garlic, herbs, including marjoram and oregano. It is possible to add E235, a preservative with antibiotic properties. Its introduction does not affect the taste, however, it can cause negative reactions in the body.
Calorie content of red cheese Pesto - 350 kcal per 100 g, of which
- Protein - 23 g;
- Fat - 28 g;
- Carbohydrates - 0 g;
- Water - 37 g.
Other components: organic acids and ash substances.
The vitamin composition is represented by thiamine, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, choline, riboflavin, calciferol, biotin and niacin. The product contains a high amount of ascorbic acid and tocopherol due to additional ingredients.
The mineral composition of red Pesto cheese contains the most calcium, phosphorus and sodium, a lot of potassium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, copper and zinc.
Despite the fact that the energy value of the cheese is relatively low, there is a lot of fat in the composition (this is indicated by a pronounced buttery taste). Therefore, the daily portion should be limited. For women - up to 60 g, and for men - up to 80 g. This product will not only help to diversify the daily menu, but also has a positive effect on health.
Health Benefits of Red Pesto Cheese
The spicy, spicy and salty taste of red Pesto immediately awakens the taste buds and evokes pleasant emotions. This stimulates the release of serotonin, which is responsible for good mood. Therefore, it is advised to eat red cheese in the morning. The tone increases, the ability to work increases, drowsiness and irritation disappear.
Plus, spicy foods increase saliva production. This physiological secret is responsible for the health of the oral cavity, it contains substances that suppress the activity of pathogenic flora. The likelihood of stomatitis, even if oral care is neglected, is reduced.
Benefits of Red Pesto Cheese:
- Increases the production of digestive enzymes, accelerates the digestion of food and the absorption of nutrients.
- Normalizes the work of the hematopoietic system, increases the synthesis of red blood cells.
- Increases blood pressure, accelerates blood flow, strengthens blood vessel walls and reduces permeability.
- It has antitoxic, immunological and antimicrobial effects.
- Strengthens the strength of bone tissue, prevents fractures.
- Prevents moisture loss, normalizes water and electrolyte balance. Slows down the loss of skin turgor.
- Accelerates the regenerative capacity of epithelial tissue, stimulates the production of collagen.
- Increases muscle tone, maintains the performance of nerve fibers, and with active training allows you to form the desired body parameters.
- Improves visual function, facilitates the transition from one light mode to another.
- Normalizes impulse conductivity, facilitates memorization.
The use of multicomponent red Pesto cheese eliminates bad breath, helps to get rid of fermentation and putrefactive processes in the intestines.
Sun-dried tomatoes contain lycopene, which is not destroyed when heated and stored. This substance has an antioxidant effect, slows down the degeneration of neoplasms at the cellular level. The most pronounced beneficial effect is manifested in relation to tumors of the prostate and rectum.
