Stampede

A Tomme-style cheese with a beautiful natural rind, "Stampede" is a sharp, semi-hard blend of cow and goat's milks from Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy of Allison Park, Pennsylvania.

Wait... cow's milk cheese from a goat dairy? Yep! Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy, the family farmstead of Steve and India Loevner, is home to about 100 dairy goats - a mix of Alpines and Nubians - but the Loevners and Goat Rodeo cheesemaker Matt Rychorcewicz also use cow's milk from neighboring Le-Ara Farms' herd of Holsteins to produce a few specialty cheeses, too.

Aged about 6 months per wheel, "Stampede" is one of my favorite go-to cheeses for grating over pasta. This cheese has a tangy, nutty, black pepper aftertaste that adds the perfect "oomph" to homemade pesto, too.

'Tis the season! Basic basil pesto is so simple and customizable that I rarely follow a recipe - all you really need are a few ingredients (listed below) and a food processor! Pesto can also be made with other flavorful seasonal herbs like cilantro, parsley or even arugula.

Stampede Pesto

2-3 heaping cups of fresh basil

3-4 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup of oil (extra virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil, walnut oil, etc.)

3/4 cup of grated "Stampede"

3 tablespoons of sunflower seeds (optional; can also substitute pine nuts, cashews.)

As far as pasta goes, if I'm making pesto, I usually pick up a few bundles of fresh pappardelle from my pal, Eric at City Fresh Pasta. Eric's products are available at various locations throughout the city, including several of our favorite farmers markets: East Liberty, Squirrel Hill, Mount Lebanon and North Side.

If you're a purist, "Stampede" shines best when savored in thin slices and pairs nicely with nuts or olives and a glass of sherry.

While the rind is 100% edible, if gnawing on moldy cheese rinds isn't your thing, at least consider nibbling up toward the rind - that's where this cheese is typically sweetest!