Vastedda of Belice Valley

A cheesemaker in Sicily working with the milk of his sheep one day decided to put the dough in the characteristic containers made of woven rush.
The processing began to sour because of the heat, the cheesemaker tried to remedy this by immersing it in hot water, as for ricotta cheese at this point the dough began to spin, then put in a dish the spun dough took the characteristic shape of flattened flat bread. This is how the first form of Vastedda della Valle del Belìce was born. Today the product is protected by the PDO consortium and the tradition is also protected by the slowfood brand. The shape does not exceed 600 g. The product is vacuum packed.

Ingredients: sheep's milk from free-range sheep.

suggestion: The summer salad with vastedda del belice is a Sicilian slow food presidium. the best way to taste it is to cut it in big slices and dress it with simple and genuine ingredients, such as Sicilian extra virgin olive oil, tomato and oregano, accompanying it with some homemade bread. It can also be used for the preparation of the typical Sicilian seasoned bread "pane cunsato" or melted as fondue in more elaborate recipes such as delicious risottos.
We present here a fresh and light summer salad, which enhances the flavor of Vastedda, in combination with other fresh ingredients. Desalinate and wash the capers. Cut the vastedda into large slices and place them on a serving dish. Place the slices of vastedda del Belice on top of the slices of tomato, the chopped basil and the capers. Dress with extra-virgin olive oil, vinegar and a pinch of salt, perhaps from the salt pans of Trapani. quantities for four people: 1 Vastedda del Belice; 6 salad tomatoes; a generous handful of salted capers; fresh basil; extra-virgin olive oil; wine vinegar; salt.