Another summer pasta was inspired by our recent trip to visit Katie at Capra Nera Creamery in Alutra, MN. Rachael used the farmstead Capra Nera Bandito Blue with house-made ricotta and mixed in some local shagbark hickory nuts (we got these from a farmer’s collective that no longer operates so we need a new source please). Katie Bonow (owner, icon, cheesemaker and goat midwife) named this cheese “Bandito Blue” becuase her goats terrorize her farm like a group of bandits !

The shape, Casoncelli, and gorgonzola both originate near Lombardi inspiring Rachael to use this shape for our regional summer delight. A truly regional summer pasta perfect for family meal, on the picnic table, or date night at home for 2. Great with brown butter and a splash of pasta water.

We had so much fun on our trip to Capra Nera Creamery. Alexander loves goats it turns out and Katie’s son Oren was an amazing junior-host. The goat milk latte, coffee topped with milk straight from the goats, was a treat to start the tour and Rachael loved observing a full cheese make.

Capra Nera Creamery

We love farmstead cheese and there isn’t better that Capra Nera. From Driflessfood.com by Kristine Jepsen, Today, Capra Nera Creamery produces Contadina cheese and limited edition Italian seasonal varieties like rosemary asiago. The Contadina, a hard cheese Katie says tastes like “cheddar crossed with Parmesan,” is available year-round in a variety of locations across the Driftless (see below for details).

All her cheese – 1,500 pounds of it a year! – comes from Katie’s 25 goats, which produce milk once a day March through December. All the milking happens in a 1970s cow parlor that Katie and her husband, Ryan, retrofitted for goats. Katie processes 30 gallons of milk into cheese every other day on average, a frequency that keeps the milk fresh – and not ‘goaty’ tasting. She is known for wheels of masterful hard cheeses weighing four to eight pounds, aged at 50-55 degrees for 60 days or more.”