Chef Isabel
Afuega'l Pitu Roxu
Afuega'l Pitu Roxu is Asturias in a small cheese: cow's milk set slowly to a dense curd, drained without squeezing, then kneaded with pimentón until it turns orange and grips the throat.
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Mel i Mato
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Mel i mato is Catalan in the plainest way: soft unsalted curd, drained until spoonable, then served with honey good enough to carry the dish.
Appetizers & Snacks
Spanish
Quick Meal
Comfort Food
Make Ahead
10 min
Active Time
15 min cook•1 hr 40 min total
Yield4 servings
Mel i mato is Catalan: fresh unsalted curd cheese and honey, nothing hiding behind it. The mato should be soft, white, and milky, drained just enough to sit in a spoon without turning dry. The honey is not decoration here. It is half the dish.
The method that decides it is the draining. Curds that are rushed and squeezed turn chalky; curds left swimming taste thin. Let them settle in cloth until they hold together softly, then stop. No salt. No lemon zest. No little restaurant tricks. This dish wants quiet hands.
If you can't find mato where you are, make it from whole milk, or use good fresh ricotta drained for an hour. Ricotta is a little grainier and sweeter, but it gets you close. Use a fragrant honey, rosemary or orange blossom if you can find it. Siempre sale, si lo sigues, and this one is kind to a nervous cook.
Mel i mato belongs to Catalonia, especially the country around Montserrat, where mato de Montserrat became a familiar fresh cheese served with local honey. Mato was a household cheese made to use fresh milk quickly, curdled and drained without aging, so it kept the sweetness of the milk rather than the salt and firmness of a cured cheese. The dish remains simple because that was its purpose: fresh curd, good honey, and nothing that gets in their way.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
whole milk, preferably not ultra-pasteurized
Quantity
2 litres
fresh lemon juice
Quantity
60ml
strained
white wine vinegar
Quantity
30ml
heavy cream (optional)
Quantity
250ml
Catalan honey, rosemary or orange blossom if possible
Quantity
120g
walnuts (optional)
Quantity
40g
lightly toasted
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| whole milk, preferably not ultra-pasteurized | 2 litres |
| fresh lemon juicestrained | 60ml |
| white wine vinegar | 30ml |
| heavy cream (optional) | 250ml |
| Catalan honey, rosemary or orange blossom if possible | 120g |
| walnuts (optional)lightly toasted | 40g |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy 3 litre pot
- •Kitchen thermometer
- •Fine sieve
- •Cheesecloth
Instructions
- 1
Warm the milk
Line a sieve with clean cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Put the milk in a heavy pot, add the cream if you want a richer mato, and warm it over medium heat to 85 C, stirring now and then so it doesn't catch on the bottom. Pésalo, no lo adivines: a thermometer keeps the curd tender.
- 2
Curdle gently
Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and vinegar, then stop stirring and let it stand 10 minutes. The milk should separate into soft white curds and pale yellow whey. If it still looks milky, add 1 tablespoon more lemon juice and wait 5 minutes.
- 3
Drain softly
Pour the curds gently into the lined sieve. Let them drain 45 to 60 minutes, just until the mato is soft and spoonable. Do not squeeze the cloth. Squeezing gives you a dry cheese, and this dish needs the curd to stay milky.
- 4
Serve with honey
Spoon the mato into four shallow bowls or small plates. Pour 30g honey over each portion and add a few toasted walnuts if using. Serve cool or at room temperature, never fridge-cold, so the honey runs and the milk sweetness comes through.
Chef Tips
- •Use whole milk that is not ultra-pasteurized. Ultra-pasteurized milk often refuses to set cleanly, and no amount of patience fixes milk that has already been cooked too hard.
- •If you buy mato, serve it the same day if you can. If you use ricotta as the substitute, choose unsalted fresh ricotta and drain it in cheesecloth for an hour; it will be a little grainier than mato, but honest enough.
- •The honey matters. Rosemary honey is very Catalan with this, orange blossom is lovely too. A harsh, cheap honey will shout over the curd, and there is nowhere for it to hide.
Advance Preparation
- •The mato can be made up to 24 hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Bring it out 30 minutes before serving so it loses the refrigerator chill.
- •Do not add the honey until serving. Honey pulls moisture from the curd as it sits, and the clean spoonful turns watery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 190g)
Calories
350 calories
Total Fat
21 g
Saturated Fat
11 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
9 g
Cholesterol
55 mg
Sodium
105 mg
Total Carbohydrates
29 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
27 g
Protein
13 g
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