A substitute for Parmesan?

[redmike]

I recently moved to Lisbon but couldn't find Parmesan today after visiting two supermarkets and a specialty cheese store.

I want to make garlic mashed potatoes and add half and half and parmesan.

Any ideas on what I might use instead?

Michael

*Many herbs and spices are available here but some that I thought would be easy to find aren't, but there are some nice new ones, for me, anyway.

I like the malaguetas

 

[merstar]

I think Gruyere would be great in that dish. Other good choices are Grana Padano, Asiago, Romano, and Reggianito. (Reggianito is made in Argentina).

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Pecorino Romano

 

[CatPat]

Pecorino Romano

Yes. This will do well.

With love,
~Cat

 

[jennyema]

I think Gruyere would be great in that dish. Other good choices are Grana Padano, Asiago, Romano, and Reggianito. (Reggianito is made in Argentina).

EXCELLANT suggestions. They'd all work well. As would Comte

 

[CraigC]

The stuff in the green can.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I would use any locally made dry stinky cheese I could find.

When in Lisbon do as the Lisboetas do, or was that Rome?

 

[Roll_Bones]

Pecorino Romano is a great idea.

 

[taxlady]

I would use any locally made dry stinky cheese I could find.

When in Lisbon do as the Lisboetas do, or was that Rome?

I think this sounds like a good idea. If Parmesan isn't available, I have my doubts about the availability of Pecorino Romano.

 

[redmike]

I think this sounds like a good idea. If Parmesan isn't available, I have my doubts about the availability of Pecorino Romano.

The local cheeses are soft ones so I will try it find either Pecorino Romano or Grana Padana but if I can't find Parmesan I'm not sure that I will find either of them either.

Somebody recently told me that there is a place that is just a 15 minutes bus ride away that has Parmesan, tarragon and Dijon that I also want.

So it might be time to take the bus ..

 

[taxlady]

The local cheeses are soft ones so I will try it find either Pecorino Romano or Grana Padana but if I can't find Parmesan I'm not sure that I will find either of them either.

Somebody recently told me that there is a place that is just a 15 minutes bus ride away that has Parmesan, tarragon and Dijon that I also want.

So it might be time to take the bus ..

I'm going to ask a Portuguese friend.

 

[taxlady]

I'm going to ask a Portuguese friend.

Reply from Portuguese friend who is travelling at the moment, "There is Parmesan at El Corte Ingles, groceries department. It's gonna cost an arm and a leg. Probably other places, I'll check when I get home tomorrow, but I know for a fact that they have it there."

 

[redmike]

Reply from Portuguese friend who is travelling at the moment, "There is Parmesan at El Corte Ingles, groceries department. It's gonna cost an arm and a leg. Probably other places, I'll check when I get home tomorrow, but I know for a fact that they have it there."

Thanks very much.

Kind of crazy to pay an arm and a leg if I can get something similar, if not the same.

Michael

 

[Harry Cobean]

i used to have a place down on the algarve at monte carvoeiro & in my experience the portuguese don't make that many hard cheeses,if any.they do make a few semi hard tho'...try rabacal but ask for a piece that's been well aged otherwise it's to creamy.

 

[redmike]

i used to have a place down on the algarve at monte carvoeiro & in my experience the portuguese don't make that many hard cheeses,if any.they do make a few semi hard tho'...try rabacal but ask for a piece that's been well aged otherwise it's to creamy.

I'll give it a whirl.

There is a place in Lisbon called Corte Ingles, which is huge, (eight floors) and they apparently have it, but, "it costs and arm and a leg".

Maybe I should import it and sell it? ;-)

Michael

 

[Harry Cobean]

I'll give it a whirl.

There is a place in Lisbon called Corte Ingles, which is huge, (eight floors) and they apparently have it, but, "it costs and arm and a leg".

Maybe I should import it and sell it? ;-)

Michael

dunno mate,if there was a big market for it i reckon someone woulda already done it.the portuguese like their cheeses on the soft/creamy side & use a lot of goat/ewes milk.some of their cheeses are a mixture of both.they also love their sweets....mmmmm...pasteis de nata...to die for!!
happy huntin' mike!!

 

[redmike]

dunno mate,if there was a big market for it i reckon someone woulda already done it.the portuguese like their cheeses on the soft/creamy side & use a lot of goat/ewes milk.some of their cheeses are a mixture of both.they also love their sweets....mmmmm...pasteis de nata...to die for!!
happy huntin' mike!!

I was being a bit flippant about it, but in the mid-70s I moved to LA and they didn't yet have the Corkette bottle opener. I thought to myself that I really must get an importers license for it but got busy and never did anything about it. It was only 7 years later that I saw them on sale.

The opposite with the barbecue chimneys; they had them decades before the UK.

Same in Brazil. I lived in Belem for a year and couldn't find a tool rental place.

There are always similar openings if we have the time, energy and interest to take advantage of them.

Somebody's shipping me a small consignment of nappies/diapers from China and I'm going to see if I can get any local shops interested in buying them.

I'm not going after big-bucks but lots of small bucks from lots of places ;-)

Michael

 

[Harry Cobean]

I was being a bit flippant about it, but in the mid-70s I moved to LA and they didn't yet have the Corkette bottle opener. I thought to myself that I really must get an importers license for it but got busy and never did anything about it. It was only 7 years later that I saw them on sale.

The opposite with the barbecue chimneys; they had them decades before the UK.

Same in Brazil. I lived in Belem for a year and couldn't find a tool rental place.

There are always similar openings if we have the time, energy and interest to take advantage of them.

Somebody's shipping me a small consignment of nappies/diapers from China and I'm going to see if I can get any local shops interested in buying them.

I'm not going after big-bucks but lots of small bucks from lots of places ;-)

Michael

you're absolutely right mike.if we all had hindsight as foresight we'd all be millionaires eh?!!spread the risk,particularly in this economy.i love portugal & the portuguese...great people,unfortunately they are in the doo doo economically(aren't we all?)so i reckon if you've got the right product at the right price it'll fly.good luck with the project,let us know how it goes & how the cheese hunt went!

 

[Soma]

I've even used a cream cheese in potatoes, instead of or along with butter.

 

[redmike]

I had great fortune for several days!
I met a chef who worked on cruise lines and in restaurants for many years, who was here on vacation and he cooked in my kitchen for three days.
What I learned from him was broad brush strokes, but they are so important.
He used far less equipment than me; didn't measure everything and didn't use an oven thermometer.
In short.
When making a sauce he put the ingredients into a large bowl: no measuring; and then tasted them until he was satisfied.
I always did the opposite :-(
He turned the heat on both the stove top and oven to almost full power, and then then turned them down when needed.
When he cooked soles, he tested the doneness by pushing the tip of the knife against the bone, and when the bone didn't quite separate he turned down the heat and tried again after a few minutes.
He was more than ready to substitute ingredients which I guess comes with lots of experience, and instead of using my sieves, simply used lids.
And somewhat surprisingly to me, he said that he mostly only uses one knife.
I asked him if he could recommend one and he told me without hesitation.
For price, usability and quality, you can't beat this!
http://goo.gl/7Y8urz
I ordered one and make no money from the link ;-)
Because I can't find Parmesan at a reasonable price here, a friend is shipping it from the UK.
The owner of my local café shops at Continente every day and he bought me tarragon and Dijon mustard.
So a good week to be sure as the Irish chef said ;-)
Michael