Adding cheese to the dish gives an appetizing malleability and aroma. It adds new taste, especially when baking. In addition, a dish sprinkled with cheese and baked in the oven gets a more festive look. In addition to combining it with other products, depending on the type of cheese, it can also be served as a separate snack. Good for cheese plate asiago cheese.
Description of cheese, history of creation
Asiago cheese recipe was born in Italy more than 1000 years ago. Initially, this product was made from sheep’s milk, since this animal was much more common than a cow because of its usefulness (it gave not only milk and meat, but also wool). In the 17th century, cattle breeding received more attention, and the composition of cheese, or rather its main component, was changed. Since then it has been made from cow's milk and can be of several types.
Asiago cheese is one of the most popular varieties in Italy and can be found in any supermarket.
Types of Asiago Cheese
Young cheese (called presato), which is 3 to 8 months old, has a light creamy taste, giving off fresh milk, and a yellowish tint. It is quite soft and gentle to the touch, flexible and has small irregular-shaped holes.
Matured from 9 to 18 months, Asiago cheese is called old and has a solid texture and white color.
The oldest Asiago matures up to 2 years. It has a yellow color, bright taste and is especially aromatic. This variety is a favorite among gourmets and is more rare. Such cheese is produced in limited quantities, since it is usually eaten up to a 2-year maturity.
What is it with?
The favorite food of Italians is cheese, and they add it to all dishes. Asiago cheese has 3 types, and each of them is served with certain products.
The youngest variety is used with fruits - grapes, pears. An older variety of cheese is served with dry white wine. And the oldest look goes with fried mushrooms and red dry wine.
In grated form, Asiago cheese is added to pasta or pizza. It dries quickly, so it should be rubbed immediately before adding to the dish.
Recipe
Asiago pressato cheese recipe consists of a minimum of ingredients. Cooking it is very simple and at the same time quite time-consuming. The following components will be required:
- milk - 3 l;
- water - 0.5 l;
- salt - 125 g;
- sourdough (thermophilic);
- rennet extract;
- calcium chloride.
The cooking procedure is as follows:
- In the milk heated to 23 degrees, introduce leaven and calcium chloride. Stir and leave for 45-60 minutes. During this time, a clot forms in the milk, which should be cut into cubes. Leave on for another 15 minutes.
- Put on fire at a temperature of 32 degrees and mix for 15 minutes. Then bring to 41 degrees for 25 minutes, without stopping stirring.
- From 41 degrees, raise the temperature to 48 degrees in 15 minutes. Leave on for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Cover the deep form with a cloth and pour half of the hot whey into it. Then put the cheese mass on a cloth in a hot form.
- Cover the surface of the cheese with a cloth and press down with a weight of 2 kg. After half an hour, turn the cheese over, change the cloth and again cover with a weight of 4 kg. Leave on for 2 hours.
- Put the cheese in a mold, removing the cloth and cargo, for 7 hours at room temperature. Make a brine by combining 0.5 l of water with 125 g of salt, and place cheese in it for 4 hours.
- Then refrigerate to dry. To cheese evenly dried up, it should be periodically turned over (2 times a day).
- The next step after drying is the ripening of the cheese. To do this, you can put it in a vacuum bag. After 30 days, cheese can already be consumed.
Storing Asiago Cheese
Young cheese (presato) should be stored in the refrigerator, packed in a vacuum bag or plastic bag so that the air does not have access to it. The temperature should be no more than 8 degrees. Shelf life - 10 days.
The older type of cheese must be stored under the same conditions, but the shelf life is up to 1 month.
Nutritional Value and Calories of the Product
Asiago cheese consists of a huge amount of useful elements needed by the body. First of all, this is protein, which is much more in it than in meat. In addition, the protein contained in it is converted to lighter, which helps the body absorb it more easily. Asiago cheese is also rich in calcium, phosphorus, and in addition, glycine and other amino acids. Despite such useful qualities, this type of cheese can be considered dietary, since it contains a minimum of calories - only 122 kcal in 100 grams of the product, as well as:
- proteins - 10.9 g;
- fats - 8.11 g;
- carbohydrates - 1.15 g.
Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that the benefits of Asiago cheese are obvious.