WRITTEN BY Adrienne Smith PHOTOGRAPHED BY Victor Marti The BLACK SHEEPof In a remote region of Spain, three brothers produce an organic Manchego using milk from a nearly extinct breed 54 culturecheesemag.com WINTER 13
avier Parra might well be considered a black sheep of agriculture in the heart of his native Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. Together with his brothers, Francisco and Luis, this Chevy-driving, Rudolf Steiner-quoting movie buff who insists that Rocky is a love story is responsible for producing around five million bottles of organic wine per year, in addition to organically cultivating the area s famed purple garlic, wheat, and black truffles. He s also one of the key characters behind La Oveja Negra, an organic Manchego cheese that is as distinctive as the folks who make it. The roads leading to the approximately 2,500-person town of Las Mesas are unexceptional by Castilla-La Mancha standards: grape vines as far as the eye can see and ochre-hued fields. It s a sparsely populated landscape, punctuated by stone churches and the occasional centuries-old windmill reminiscent of those that Don Quixote so heroically battled. However, something extraordinary waits at the end of this journey: a cheese that is one of only two organic Manchegos with Designation of Origin (DO) status, and the only one made exclusively from the milk of black Manchega sheep. This native Castilian breed virtually disappeared several decades ago due to fading demand for its darkcolored wool and its lower milk production. Today, a handful of area farmers among them Javier, Francisco, and Luis Parra are bringing back these nearly extinct sheep. THIS PAGE: Javier Parra, above, is one of three brothers behind La Oveja Negra organic Manchego, below. OPPOSITE PAGE: Black Manchega sheep supply the milk for the Parras DO Manchego. UNLIKELY PIONEERS The adventure began around 20 years ago, when the Parra brothers sold their local discotheque and returned to their agricultural roots. From a very young age, they had planted garlic and helped with the grape harvest on their family s farm. Agriculture, like cheesemaking, was a way of life in this area, and virtually everyone farmed and kept some sheep. Grazing lands and shepherding duties were shared between neighbors. The middle of the three brothers, Javier Parra was in his late twenties when the trio set up its current business. The brothers began by launching the Bodegas Parra Jiménez vineyards and winery, and have since expanded to include a range of organic products and with the purchase of the Don Merendón farmstead dairy in 2010 from Javier s in-laws cheese. Along with building a herd that has now reached around 560 black sheep, the brothers were intent on recovering the artisanal cheesemaking methods of past generations. They reached out to local cheesemakers, including Javier s brotherin-law, who had run the dairy previously, and they brought in cheese consultant José Manuel Martín, whom they met at Madrid s annual Salón de Gourmets food fair, to educate them. This attention to detail attests to the Parras reverence for tradition and quality. But if you ask Javier Parra why his family decided to farm organic before it was fashionable, or why he and his brothers set out to rescue the black Manchega sheep, he ll simply say, It s good business. WINTER 13 culturecheesemag.com 55
La Oveja Negra 56 culturecheesemag.com WINTER 13
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As we tour the small dairy, however, it s obvious that Parra s devotion to the artisanal process and product is something more than good business. It s respect for terroir, the land, and the traditions of its people. Parra s enthusiasm is infectious, and as we watch cheesemakers Flor Vasilie and Andrea Raica press fresh curds into traditional Manchego cheese molds, he encourages us to scoop handfuls of this delicately aromatic substance into our mouths. THIS PAGE: Javier Parra holds a labeled wheel of La Oveja Negra inside the farmstead s aging room, top. Below, a sculpture of Don Quixote stands guard at the Parra Family Organic winery. OPPOSITE PAGE: A freshly pressed Manchego awaits aging, top. Below, Flor Vasilie, left, and Andrea Raica scoop warm curds into molds. FLAVOR DEVELOPMENT Vasilie and Raica live on this farmstead with their husbands, brothers who are both shepherds. Their easy access to the cheese is important, given that the Manchego requires constant vigilance, during both its preparation and aging. Each La Oveja Negra cheese is made from five liters of milk, curdled using natural sheep rennet, as is customary. Javier explains that because the cheese is made with only natural rinds a practice now virtually unheard of for Manchego the milk must be pasteurized delicately, and heated slowly to 62 C (144 F) for 30 minutes, so as not to degrade its aromas. Interestingly, black Manchega sheep s milk is a paler hue than white Manchega sheep s milk. It also takes longer to curdle, due to a slightly higher fat content but this only adds to the cheese s moist, luscious texture. After the whey is drained, we watch the women work quickly to fill 40 approximately-3-kilo (6.6-pound) cloth-lined molds, massaging the hardening, pea-sized curds along the way to ensure uniformity. The molds are placed in a hydraulic press to expel more whey. The cloths are removed after 30 minutes and the DO seals are placed on the cheeses, which are then pressed gradually for nearly five hours. PHOTO, PREVIOUS SPREAD: Mark Ferri 58 culturecheesemag.com WINTER 13
Then comes the salmuera (brine), in which the cheeses sit for approximately 18 hours. Once the cheeses leave the bath for the humidity-controlled, refrigerated chambers, the aging process begins. The two women rotate every cheese by hand, daily at first, and then every other day. Considering that the immaculate room is lined with dozens of stacks of aging cheeses some over 10 feet tall the constant rotation seems a daunting task. But aged in this loving way for a minimum of three months, La Oveja Negra develops a creamy texture and complex flavor that s hard to beat. HAPPY SHEEP MAKE GOOD MILK It s impossible for Javier Parra to talk about cheese without talking about the land, and when he does, it s easy to see how the two are intertwined. For starters, 60 percent of everything grown on the Parras nearby farm, Entresendas, represents organic fodder for the sheep. Black sheep are more rustic than white ones, meaning they are heartier and more able to live off the land. Rafael, a barrel- and barechested shepherd (whose last name Parra doesn t know), looks after the flock. Rafael can identify each one at a glance and calls to them with guttural noises that belie a special tenderness. Milking animals must be treated very gently, like little ladies, he says. As we find the sheep under the grove of truffle-sheltering oaks, he cautions us that, at this time of day, the pretty girls will be taking their afternoon siesta. A shepherd since the age of eight, Rafael knows that happy sheep make good milk. Parra, in turn, understands that all of these factors add to the complexity and flavor of La Oveja Negra, which is creamier, more intense and [has] more personality than a typical white sheep s milk Manchego. The aroma is delicate, grassy, and clean. On the palate, the cheese is sensational, with a tangy acidity that mingles with buttery, nutty roundness, at times revealing hints of coconut and other sweet notes. These complex flavors linger wonderfully on the taste buds. Parra enjoys La Oveja Negra on a baguette drenched in olive oil. Spanish chef Manuel de la Osa serves it in an evocative salad at his Michelin-starred restaurant Las Rejas, in nearby Las Pedroñeras. And I like it served any way at all, because it s just that good. c Madrid-based writer Adrienne Smith has spent the past 15 years eating and drinking her way through Spain. AUTUMN SUMMER WINTER 13 13 culturecheesemag.com 59 59