October is the month when saffron fields turn purple and pickers' hands are stained red. After porcini mushrooms, grapes, and pomegranates, our journey through autumn products arrives in Sicily, where saffron doesn't just accompany the cheese: it goes right inside it.
Centro Form: The Dairy in the Heart of Sicily
Centro Form was founded in 1984 in Aidone, in the province of Enna, thanks to the intuition of Giuseppe Caruso.
However, its story begins much earlier, with the Caruso family working as shepherds since the early 1900s, herding their flocks along the slopes of Mount Etna before choosing to settle right here in the Erei mountains, among forests, clean air, and lush pastures ideal for animal welfare and milk quality. Today, just as back then, the shepherds move twice a year between valleys and mountains so the sheep can always find fresh pasture.
Milk is collected daily from small local farms, and ancient techniques, such as dry-salting the pecorino cheeses, harvesting ricotta by hand, and aging on wooden shelves (scalere), coexist with cutting-edge facilities and a quality control laboratory monitoring every step from raw milk to the finished product. The result is a Sicilian tradition enjoyed on tables around the world, crafted with a constant commitment to sustainability.
Piacentinu Ennese PDO: The Cheese That Brings Saffron into the Milk
When telling the story of autumn through cheese, Piacentinu Ennese PDO is the natural choice.
Toward the end of the month, high-quality saffron is harvested in the Sicilian fields, and the feature that makes this cheese unique is that the spice is inside the wheel itself: it is added to the milk during cheesemaking, giving the paste its characteristic deep yellow color.
It is produced using whole, raw sheep's milk with natural fermentation acidity, sourced from native Sicilian breeds, Comisana, Pinzirita, and Valle del Belice and their crossbreeds.
Completing the recipe are salt, rennet, and whole black peppercorns, which fleck the paste and lend a distinct spicy note. The minimum aging period is 60 days.
Pairings
Piacentinu Ennese PDO isn't just meant to be eaten, it loves to be discovered through contrasts.
Here is how to highlight its subtle nuances:
- The Sweet Contrast: Chestnut Honey. The slightly bitter notes of chestnut honey create a perfect balance with the spicy sweetness of the saffron. A pairing for refined palates.
- The Savory Kick: Speck. The light smokiness of speck coats the firm texture of the cheese, enhancing the spicy heat of the black peppercorns.
- Freshness: Pears and Walnuts. A classic yet far from ordinary combination: the juiciness of the pear cleanses the palate, while the crunch of the walnut provides a wonderful counterpoint to the spicy character of the cheese.
A Cheese That Tells the Story of Autumn
In just a few slices, Piacentinu Ennese PDO speaks of an entire region: the pastures of Aidone, native sheep breeds, saffron fields, and the skilled hands of those who have transformed milk into cheese for generations.
This October, we highlighted four distinct cheeses, each paired with a classic autumn ingredient: Parmigiano Reggiano with porcini mushrooms, drunken cheeses by Perenzin with grapes, Taleggio with pomegranate, and today, Piacentinu Ennese PDO with saffron.
