By Susan Selasky
A hearty bowl of minestrone soup may not sound fancy, but one ingredient in today's recipe puts it over the top. It's Parmigiano-Reggiano and it's considered the ultimate and highest-end of Italian cheeses.
Made with a mix of whole and skim milks, Parmigiano-Reggiano has a sharper flavor than Parmesan and more of a granular or grainy texture. That grainy texture comes from aging. Parmigiano-Reggiano is sometimes aged for two years. If you see Parmigiano-Reggiano labeled "stravecchio," it has been aged three years and ones labeled "stravecchiones" are aged four or more years.
Source: http://www.kansas.com
