Italian Provolone Cheese Sophisticated Simplicity

Italian Provolone bears little resemblance to the pitiful, tasteless factory made version we often see here in the United States. It is the most popular cheese in Italy and it is found in almost every home there. Provolone has DOP certification but is made in all the regions of Italy and comes in all shapes and sizes. Provolone is a firm cow's milk cheese that been rubbed with brine and allowed to air dry in controlled temperatures and humidity. The fresh cheese, aged about one month, has almost no flavor or aroma. However this cheese is transformed once it is allowed to age further. The Dolce version is aged about three months and has a mildly sharp flavor for this reason it is popular as an addition to deli sandwiches here in the United States. The ten to twelve month aged cheese Picante has a sharp and aggressive flavor and the sixteen to eighteen month version has a very sharp and also hot taste that can overpower many accompaniments. There is a rare three year old Provolone that appears in some specialty cheese shops. This aged version is hard and flinty and can be grated. It has a very hot flavor and really spices up pasta dishes.  Also, as it ages Provolone will get firmer and a bit oily. The outer rind is formed by the constant rubbing of the fresh cheese with oil and brine this procedure creates a natural edible rind that has a medium yellow hue and a light yellow interior paste that will become darker as the cheese ages.

Provolone is usually pretty hard to abuse but when buying it look for dryness, cracking or a rancid odor as these are all signs of a bad investment. Also ask your cheese seller how long the piece you are buying has been aged because this will give you an idea about it's flavor. Also ask to taste a small piece since there is no sense in purchasing a picante version if you do not like sharp cheeses. The brands to look for here in the United States are Auricchio, Il Giardino but our favorite imported one is Albiero. The Alberio Dairy consistently produces superior quality products that reflect the family's dedication to the art of cheese making.

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You can serve dolce Provolone as a sandwich cheese, with raw vegetables, olives and sweet peppers in an antipasto or as a topping for pizza. Aged versions can be served as a table cheese or grated over pasta, meat or seafood dishes

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Wine Pairing: Since the simplicity of this cheese is it's strong point look for unpretentious Italian red wines like Chianti Classico. For aged versions look for bold Italian reds.

For information on other Alberio Brand cheeses go to: http://www.albiero.it/albieroeng.html

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