Parmesan Cheese Rinds impart a unique flavor to soups and pasta dishes.
Parmesan cheese rinds are flavor gems that are often overlooked and discarded. But in my home, they are frozen and saved for flavoring soups and pasta dishes. Undoubtedly you are thinking to yourself, this lady is nuts. But I assure you, I am not. And to prove my point, I was in the market last week, and I’ll give you one guess at what I saw in the Deli Department.
In the center of the department was a round table with a display of Parmigano Reggiano, cut and ready to take home for use. And around the perimeter of the table, were packaged containers of Parmesan Cheese Rinds. I about fell over with disbelief. But it gets better, they were charging $14.95 a pound for throw away ends. Can you imagine that?
Whenever I taste broth seasoned with Parmesan rinds, my memory slips back into my Grandmother’s dining room table huddled over a bowl of her homemade tortellini soup, my favorite. Additionally, the flavor that a rind imparts to a broth or sauce cannot be duplicated. Cheese can be added to a recipe while it is cooking, but so much of it ends up stuck to the bottom of the pan. However, a rind will flavor your base without sticking to the pan. It’s magical.
Buying Parmesan Cheese
I always recommend buying Parmesan Cheese in wedges versus grated. When you purchase grated cheese, dry milk is often added to control moisture. Additionally, there is no way of knowing how long ago it was grated. By purchasing Parmesan pieces you can insure the quality of your grated cheese as well as the freshness. What’s more, now there are rinds to freeze and use to flavor some of your favorite dishes. Good quality Parmesan cheese can be purchased at discount warehouse stores like Costco at a reasonable price.
A Few of My Favorite Recipes
Here are a few of my favorite recipes that use Parmesan Cheese Rinds. Perhaps you would like to give one a try and experience the wonderful flavor profile these rinds impart to these dishes. My Tuscan Bean Soup is chocked full of chicken, beans, vegetables and pasta. Or perhaps, you might like Pasta e Fagioli a traditional Italian pasta dish. Parmesan cheese rinds add umami to broth soups like chicken noodle. What have you got to lose, try adding a piece of Parmesan cheese rind to your favorite soup dish and take note of the difference in flavor.
