I made a Romano cheese in January 2011, which has been aged for a 13 months in my little cheese fridge/cave.
This cheese was due to be taste tested in October 2011 after 10 months maturation, however as I have probably said a few times before, events got away from me. It wasn’t until a request for an Alfredo pasta sauce that it prompted me to break the wax seal and try some of it. Here it is devoid of its wax covering.
Romano verdict: This cheese was made with Jersey milk, which is quite high in butterfat (4.0-4.2%), and I chose it specifically at the time because I was disappointed with normal “no name brand milk”, and I found that Jersey milk had improved the quality of my Caerphilly, so thought that it would help improve a Romano. Let me tell you about it in my normal format:
De-waxing: No additional moisture under the wax. The cheese had some fine white crystals over it, which is just hardened lipase.
Texture: It cut well, with no crumbliness. No holes or blemishes. It grated very well.
Taste: I tried it on a plain water cracker, and it had a full body and was very strong. It was not as strong as some Parmesan that I have made, and it had a milder flavour. If I remember correctly, it was very similar to the last Romano that I made, so I believe that my recipe is now tried and true.
I have another Romano in the cheese fridge that I made from raw milk, however that is not ready until December 2012 if I leave it to mature a full 12 months. It is the cheese I made for my last video tutorial.
I highly recommend making this cheese for its delicious taste. It is as easy as Parmesan to make, and just uses full cream milk instead of semi-skimmed. Give it a go, but make sure you use good milk.