Five recipes from the world with cheese
Provolone Valpadana ideas for recipes from the world with cheese
Cheese is a masterpiece appreciated all over the world thanks to thousands of variations and production processes that make it a rich and varied proposition.
It is good enjoyed alone, or as a base for dishes and recipes that have made history.
Food is union and tradition for many peoples, even those who seem most distant to us in terms of their way of doing things and eating, and to demonstrate this to you, today we take you by the hand and take you with us to a world tour special, in search of recipes from the world which have His Majesty, cheese, as their protagonist.
What? No, you don't need to pack your bags: all you need is a lot of imagination, a desire to open up to the new and a lot, a lot of hunger.
Let's begin!
Recipes from the world based on cheese
Nachos, tortillas and… Mexican mariachis
You will already feel like you are there, in one of the clubs immersed in the colorful Mexican streets to the rhythm of a carefree melody, played by a cheerful band of mariachis. You're sipping a margarita while waiting to sink your teeth into one of the local delicacies.
It starts with i nachos, delicious corn triangles usually topped with melted cheese, jalapeno peppers and other ingredients of your choice.
The origins of this delicacy date back to Piedras Negras, near the border with Texas, where it was invented by Ignacio Anaya, known as Nacho, in 1943.
It is, in fact, the hot and stringy cheese, nestled on the crunchy corn that triumphs on this dish which we propose again in an equally delicious variant, which does not differ much from the original version, in which we use the Sweet Provolone Valpadana DOP stringy.
Look at the recipe now Nachos with sweet provolone valpadana dop, pico de gallo and coriander.
Nachos with sweet Provolone Valpadana DOP, pico de gallo and fresh coriander
Are you still hungry?
The tortillas they are another must of Mexican cuisine that will help you immerse yourself even more in the fun atmosphere of this colorful country.
At the base of these specialties there is a fundamental ingredient of Mexican cuisine, corn.
Corn tortillas, which even have pre-Columbian origins, are typically cooked on griddles, called comalon the sides of the roads. In Mexico street food can reach very high levels of variety.
The filling includes meat, mixed vegetables and abundant strips of cheese, then wrapped and eaten strictly with your hands.
Want to try making them at home?
We have the recipe that will take you straight to Mexico, le Tortillas with chilli meat and spicy Provolone Valpadana DOP.
Tortillas with chilli meat and spicy Provolone Valpadana DOP
Arepas and ancient Maya
We fly over the entire Andes mountain range to propose another dish rich in history, the arepas.
Have you ever tasted them?
It is a type of bread made from corn flour, with a thin, circular shape. The origin of this tasty food dates back to the Mayan era. The Mesomeric population ground corn grains between two smooth stones and the resulting flour was mixed with water. In this way, small balls were obtained which were cooked on clay slabs calledaripo”.
Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia at the table... a concentration of simplicity and taste that takes us directly back to the best traditions of Latin America.
Making arepas again is simple, for the base just mix white corn flour, water, extra virgin olive oil and salt to form a compact dough. Let the dough rest for 25-30 minutes, then divide it into portions which must be "compacted" to form balls.
Crush the balls with your hands, thinning them and giving them a thickness of about 2 cm and 8 cm in diameter. Brush the loaves with oil and brown on a hot non-stick pan. When both sides are golden, transfer them onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees. Once ready they can be enjoyed like bread or stuffed with lots of stringy cheese, we recommend Provolone Valpadana DOP in its tasty version spicy cheese, and other ingredients according to your preferences.
Macaroni cheese, oh yes!
Let's take a trip to the homeland of freedom, folk recipes and take away: the USA.
America, which has often left us breathless in front of strange culinary proposals worthy of the bravest palates.
And what about the much acclaimed and criticized ones Macaroni cheese, macaroni, butter and cheddar cheese served hot and gooey.
Have you tried them at least once or were you just horrified and moved on to the next recipe?
Its origins are murky, but the first traces seem to be decidedly European: in the 14th century, in fact, a French book already existed where a recipe for pasta and cheese casserole was mentioned.
In 1802, President Jefferson served at a state dinner, “a pie called macaroni“, drawing criticism from Reverend Cutler. Controversy, however, made the dish even more popular, which since then began to invade the USA, becoming the "legend" it is today.
Reproducing it at home is simple, after all it is a messy pasta made with cheddar cheese - but we suggest replacing it with sweet Provolone Valpadana DOP - baking for 20 minutes at 180° to ensure that a crunchy crust forms on the surface.
Between France and Switzerland there is... cheese
France and Switzerland compete for several superlative cheese-based dishes.
Let's talk, for example, about Fondue, a convivial proposal par excellence, perfect for enjoying an evening with friends: once prepared, it is served in the “caquelon”, the special cast iron or earthenware pot, placed in the center of the table, under which there is a small stove fueled by alcohol which keeps the temperature constant.
Each person at the table is provided with a small fork with a long handle and a colored sticker to be recognised, with which they skewer the food, generally bread, which will then be immersed in the caquelon containing the melted cheese.
Its origins date back to Switzerland, where it was already spoken of in 1699; cheese was consumed in the Alps and Pre-Alps area and only later entered the diet of the rest of the population.
In France today there are different types of fondue, essentially linked to the region where they are prepared and which differ in the type and quantity of cheeses used for the preparation.
Another peculiarity of Swiss origins is the raclette, have you ever heard of it?
A curiosity: the word raclette it has multiple meanings in Switzerland and would indicate a territorial trademark, Swiss cheese, a utensil to place at the table, an idea for dinner and a fun moment!
The raclette cheese was born in Switzerland, in the French canton, when the Swiss shepherds coming from Valais needed to bring food with them to the Alps, food that was relatively cheap and that did not melt quickly during the summer period.
They therefore invented a practical but poor dish, consisting of cheese and potatoes.
To cook it you needed the fire, on which the potatoes were roasted, while the cheese was placed near the fire to melt it a little.
Once the cheese began to melt, all you had to do was remove it and place it on the perfectly cooked potatoes.
The cheese was scraped by its shape and that gesture and the French word racler the name of the dish was born. In French the word scrape translates as racler and from there to raclette it was a very short step.
Today there are raclette machines that hold the cheese wheel, or simple grills where it can be grilled to perfection.
If your intent is to travel the world while sitting comfortably at home, these are some ideas for your cheese-based dinner.
Do you know any others? Share them now with the Provoliamo community.
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