Ardi-Gasna is a Basque word for 'ewe cheese' or 'local cheese'. It is a wheel of firm cheese made with sheep's milk having a strong, yellow, smooth and supple paste and a natural rind. It is made on mountain farms in the Pays-Basque. This cheese is made between December and June and is eaten all year round. It is made with raw, whole milk and contains 45%-50% fat. The curds are uncooked and pressed. It may be found in the following dimensions: 19 cm (7½") diameter x 7 cm (2¾") deep, weighing 2-4 kg (4½ - 9 lb). Affinage is from 3-6 months, and older cheeses may be used for grating. Smaller cheeses may be called Arradoy, while those made while the sheep are at the summer pastures are called Arneguy or Esterençuby.
The blusher. The one problem with this mushroom is that, whilst edible itself, it closely resembles others that are poisonous, including the death cap. It must be cooked as it contains a toxin which is destroyed by heat, like kidney beans. The most identifiable thing about it is that this reddish brown mushroom with pinkish grey scales and a white stem colours pink to red at sites of damage or bruising. The gills and flesh are white, also becoming red or pink on bruising. It is most commonly found in beech woods in summer to late autumn (US: fall). Also look closely at the ring on the stem. This should have lots of fine grooves on its upper side, unlike another poisonous mushroom which it closely resembles, the panther cap.
Thornback ray. A variety of ray with very good flavour, the wings and the liver only being eaten. The wings have strips of cartilage running through them, rather than bone, and are easy to deal with at the table as the flesh drops away readily. As the name suggests, the backs of the fish may have clumps of coarse thorny spines, swelling at the base. These are called bucklers. Thornbacks have a range right from Iceland to the Mediterranean.
Thornback ray. A variety of ray with very good flavour, the wings and the liver only being eaten. The wings have strips of cartilage running through them, rather than bone, and are easy to deal with at the table as the flesh drops away readily. As the name suggests, the backs of the fish may have clumps of coarse thorny spines, swelling at the base. These are called bucklers. Thornbacks have a range right from Iceland to the Mediterranean.
