Pedro Oliveira
Chef Dishes
Croque-madame Queijo São Jorge DOP
If the croque-madame had been invented in the Azores, it would be like this. This reinvention of the French classic features two highly appreciated products from the archipelago: the São Miguel “bolo lêvedo“ (a slightly sweet bread) and the São Jorge PDO Cheese. For this recipe, chef Pedro Oliveira uses a cheese aged for seven months.
Products used
São Jorge PDO cheese
Dating back almost as far as the island‘s discovery, São Jorge PDO cheese is one of the most appreciated and recognised products of this island and the entire Azores archipelago. Dating back almost as far as the island‘s discovery, São Jorge PDO cheese is one of the most appreciated and recognised products of this island and the entire Azores archipelago. Its story starts in the 15th century with the arrival of the Flemish community, that was accustomed to the production of milk and its derived products and encouraged the production of this cheese. Five centuries later it has achieved the POD status (Protected Denomination of Origin). This cured cheese, made with raw cow‘s milk, has a hard or semi-hard paste and a yellowish colour with a strong aroma and a slightly spicy aftertaste. Its particularity, as with other cheeses, essentially results from the edaphic and climatic characteristics of the island, which provide different pastures that contribute to the milk‘s quality, and the fact that the production method has remained almost unaltered for 500 years.
Regions
Azores
Made up of lagoons, volcanoes, hydrangeas and fajãs, pastures, ferns, craters and basalt, this island, of a thousand and one charms, is known for its cheese, a strong Cheddar, as well as for its beauty and its people. Its fajãs, coastal plains that lie between 400 and 700 meters high, were considered UNESCO Biosphere Heritage.
