Monje Picón
Bridging the divide between Asturias and Cantabria, Picón is part of a family of cave-ripened blue cheeses that includes Gamoneú, Valdeon and Cabrales. While there is a Picón DOP for that made in Cantabria, the Asturian version is not included.
Where Is It From?
Panes site on the river Deva, just about as close to Cantabria as you can get without leaving Asturias. Situated on the lower slopes of the Picos de Europa mountain range, it also houses the Bowling Museum of Asturias.
How Monje Picón Is Made
Picón cheese is made during the summer months, when the cattle are in the upper pastures eating the sweeter summer grass. It is matured for at least two months in mountain caves.
History
I honestly know very little about the history of this cheese. It is one of those things that just seems to have always existed here.
Uses For Monje Picón
Common Uses: Like most blue cheeses in Asturias, this has two main uses; on cheese boards and in sauces.
How I Use It: I am a fanatic about blue cheese personally, so I put it on everything. Picón in particular slices nice and thin, so it's great on sandwiches. I also like this a lot with sliced seared figs.
Recipes
No recipes currently use Monje Picón
Where To Find Monje Picón
In Asturias Monje Picón is easily found in most grocery stores. Murray's Cheese sometimes has the DOP version which is functionally identical.
