Today, June 4^th is National Cheese Day. A day to honor our favorite companions to the weekend’s charcuterie board. A requirement on pizza and pasta, burgers on the grill, and the main feature of a perfect grilled cheese sandwich. I must admit, I did not discover this wonderful holiday until this afternoon when a colleague informed me of this monumental day while on a Zoom meeting. (Thank you Debbie E.) Your timing was quite fortuitous.

Pasta on the Floor has a new baby sister: cheeseheals.com.

Cheese Heals is currently housed on the pastaonthefloor.com platform until it can take flight and live a life of its own. The premise of the Pasta on the Floor website is to share life lessons, and family recipes in conjunction with entertaining stories. Cheese has always been an undertone on the website- ever present and ready!

In a recent blog entitled, How’s your heart and soul?  I previewed my intent to create cheeseheals.com:

 “On many occasions, cheese has saved my soul. A charcuterie board on a Saturday afternoon with an exhibition of nuts, chocolate, fruit, Italian cured meats ….and cheese. Ahh. My heart rate just slowed to 89 bpm. Grilled cheese and polenta sandwiches on the grill- I’ll say no more. Burrata, Manchego, goat, truffle- I cannot stop myself.

I have decided to impart my cheese wisdom and add a series to Pasta on the Floor called Cheese Heals. This series will highlight a different cheese as it assumes its rightful place in my cheese grotto. I will review it and share possibilities for cooking with it or just plain paring it with wine.”

Let’s kick it off with Burrata Cheese!

A sadly underutilized cheese, burrata is an Italian wonder made from fresh mozzarella and cream. The wrapper outer layer holds in the beauty of the Stracciatella (frayed mozzarella) and cream. Simply sitting on a plate to the unaware patron, it resembles a ball of cheese yet when split open on pasta or grilled vegetables, it dominates and holds the dish to a higher standard.

Burrata requires little effort to sublimely enjoy…just a drizzle of olive oil and a shake of salt & pepper. Once the inner goodness is exposed, a dip of warm Italian bread in the gooey center, well, it could be deemed orgasmic by some. (wink)

Understanding the benefits and nutritional importance of burrata cheese.

According to the website burratahouse.com:

…burrata is very similar to mozzarella and burrata stracciatella, except its fat content is around 20%. However, thanks to these food proteins of high biological quality, easily assimilable calcium, such as vitamins B1, B2, PP, and A are introduced to our bodies. Furthermore, burrata has sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and all elements that our body needs. Although it is a high-calorie food, given that 100 grams of the product can also have 350 kcal (depending on the cream being used), the burrata must be consumed and within one’s diet in moderation.

(They were doing great until they mentioned moderation.) The author continues,

To understand why burrata should be consumed and not demonized due to its calories, it’s important to realize that dairy products do our body a lot of good and the benefits they produce are considerable. We will try to analyze those that are brought by the elements in the burrata.

Let’s start by talking about the improvements made to the bone and dental health. Thanks to the nutrients present in burrata and other dairy products, regional or total bone mineralization can be improved, especially during development.  Some studies have shown that women who have consumed little milk and few derivatives during development are more exposed to the risk of bone fractures. 

In a masterful summary, the author states: “These are benefits that cannot be underestimated in any way, given that they play a fundamental role in our body and health.”

Case closed.  Witness make step down; or proceed directly to the kitchen for a warm bowl of bucatini with pesto and burrata.

Mangia e goditi il ​​formaggio. Preoccupati per domani dopo.

Translated: Eat and enjoy the cheese. Worry about tomorrow later.

Special thanks  and shout out to Burrata House. (check out their website!) “We have sourced the best products from the best producers in Italy for your enjoyment. Here at Burrata House we only work with suppliers who share our principles – the pursuit of excellence, the careful promotion of Italian products and the constant search for quality. The philosophy of Burrata House relies on the simplicity of fresh and locally sourced ingredients, the quality of Italian food with family and friends. A food concept proudly supported by Di Stefano Cheese.”