5 recipes with Pag cheese

If you were to describe Pag in one word, this word could be – cheese. More precisely, a wonderful, rich sheep cheese that has won numerous awards because of its truly unique balance of flavours, resulting from the milk of indigenous sheep grazing on the salty aromatic herbs of Pag island. Croatia and cheese have had a long and loving relationship and Croatian cheese tradition is as long and proud as its wine and olive oil tradition.

You will not go wrong if you simply pair Pag cheese with high-quality red wine, olive oil and some pršut, but here are some other ideas to try.

Gnocchi

This simple, classic dish features the rich Pag cheese flavour as the main star.

You can make potato gnocchi at home or simply buy good-quality gnocchi to speed up the process. Boil them for a minute or two and then fry slightly in butter for another minute or so, before finishing everything off with a generous amount of grated Pag cheese.

Grilled lamb with polenta

Janjetina na gradele is a traditional island specialty that involves cooking small pieces of lamb on a grill (gradele) over open fire. It is traditionally made for Easter and accompanied with pieces of polenta with Pag cheese. This may not be a dish you would make at home, but there are many restaurants that serve this jewel of Croatian cuisine.

Skradin Risotto

Skradinski rižot is an icon of Croatian cuisine, made famous by the chef Anthony Bourdain. This dish is traditionally made by men and the preparation lasts for over 10 hours! It is essentially a veal risotto, with specially prepared bouillon being the key ingredient. The result of the hard work is a magnificent dish finished off with magnificent Pag cheese. Definitely not a recipe for the inexperienced cook.

Adriatic stuffed squid

This dish features all the staples of Mediterranean cuisine: quality Adriatic squid stuffed with aromatic Pag cheese and pršut, seasoned with olive oil, garlic and parsley and paired with dry white wine. This is a dish you could try making at home, as it really boils down to cleaning and stuffing the squids and then frying them for a couple of minutes on low heat in olive oil. Use toothpicks to seal the stuffing in place.

Roasted asparagus with Pag cheese

A very simple dish best enjoyed during the wild asparagus season in spring. Season the asparagus lightly with salt, pepper and olive oil, then fry for a few minutes in olive oil. Add some lemon zest and again a generous amount of grated Pag cheese. You can even wrap each stalk in pršut or serve it with grilled chicken. Yum!

One of the most well-known Pag cheese makers in Croatia is Pag cheese Gligora. You can find their products all around Croatia and even order them online.

Go ahead and indulge yourself – feel the power of the sea and tradition woven into this culinary work of art!