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If you had to choose which food would you take with you to a desert island, which one would you choose? Chef José Andrés, a lover of good food, has it very clear. Among his must-have foods there are a few, but he recently confessed in his blog Longer Tables, that the food he could eat every day (and in fact he practically does) is cheese. The Asturian chef has commented that in his U.S. fridge there is no shortage of local cheeses from Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia and, of course, a wide variety of cheeses of Spanish origin. In fact, he has even stated that cheese would be one of those foods that he would take with him to a desert island. In addition, the chef has named some of his favorite Spanish cheeses. We reveal them to you below.
José Andrés’ favorite Spanish cheeses
As a great exponent of Spanish cuisine, José Andrés talks in his blog about the 26 Denominations of Origin (DOP) of cheeses in the Spanish geography. And, although he likes practically all of them, these are the Asturian chef’s favorite Spanish cheeses, not counting those from his own land.
Among his favorite varieties, a classic such as Manchego cheese stands out. He loves to eat it with bread with tomato and a bit of ham, and even adds it to mashed potatoes. For his bikini sandwiches, the chef prefers San Simón, a smoked cow cheese from Galicia. From Galicia, he also highlights the tetilla cheese, which he usually serves with fruit and paired with a good Albariño wine.
From the Canary Islands, choose Fuerteventura’s majorero cheese, which even has its own museum. If we change archipelago, we would have the Mahón, a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese typical of Menorca. The traditional way to eat it is with extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground black pepper and tarragon, or melted in bread.
Another of José Andrés’ favorites is payoyo cheese, whose name comes from an ancient Andalusian goat breed, and is ideal with a Manzanilla de Jerez. A classic is Idiazábal cheese, well known in the Basque Country, which the chef likes to melt on grilled hamburgers. As a lover of good food, he could not miss Torta del Casar, a buttery spoon cheese that he recommends serving on slices of bread and a glass of cava. He dedicates a separate chapter to Asturian cheeses, such as Cabrales.
What are your favorite cheeses and your must-try food like José Andrés’?