Asiago cheese: recipe

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Adding cheese to the dish gives a mouth-watering viscosity and flavor. It adds new flavors, 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. Asiago cheese is good for a cheese plate.

Description of cheese, history of creation

The Asiago cheese recipe was born in Italy over 1000 years ago. Initially, this product was made from sheep's milk, since this animal was much more common than a cow due to its usefulness (it provided not only milk and meat, but also wool). In the 17th century, cattle breeding received more attention, and the composition of the cheese, or rather its main component, was changed. Since then, it has been made from cow's milk and comes in several varieties.

Asiago cheese is one of the most popular varieties in Italy and can be found in anysupermarket.

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 delicate to the touch, flexible and has small irregular holes.

Aged between 9 and 18 months, Asiago cheese is called old and has a firm texture and white color.

The oldest Asiago matures up to 2 years. It has a yellow color, bright taste and is especially fragrant. This variety is a favorite among gourmets and is rarer. This cheese is produced in limited quantities, since it is usually eaten before 2 years of aging.

What to eat it with

Italians' favorite food 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 this cheese is served with dry white wine. And the oldest kind goes well with fried mushrooms and dry red wine.

Grated asiago cheese is added to pasta or pizza. It dries quickly, so rub it right before adding it to the dish.

Cooking recipe

Asiago pressato cheese recipe consists of a minimum of ingredients. Its preparation is very simple and at the same time quite laborious. You will need the following components:

• milk - 3 l;
• water - 0.5 l;
• s alt - 125 g;
• sourdough(thermophilic);
• rennet;
• calcium chloride.

The cooking order is as follows:

1. Introduce ferment and calcium chloride into milk heated to 23 degrees. Mix and leave for 45-60 minutes. During this time, a clot forms in the milk, which should be cut into cubes. Leave for another 15 minutes.
2. Put on fire at a temperature of 32 degrees and stir the mass for 15 minutes. Then bring to 41 degrees for 25 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. From 41 degrees raise the temperature to 48 degrees in 15 minutes. Leave for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Cover a deep form with a cloth and pour half of the hot whey into it. Then put the hot cheese mass on the cloth.
5. 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 fabric and cover again with a weight of 4 kg. Leave for 2 hours.
6. Pour the cheese into the mold, removing the fabric and weight, for 7 hours at room temperature. Make a brine by combining 0.5 l of water with 125 g of s alt, and put the cheese in it for 4 hours.
7. Then place in the refrigerator to dry. In order for the cheese to dry evenly, it should be turned over periodically (2 times a day).
8. The next step after drying is cheese aging. To do this, you can put it in a vacuum bag. After 30 days, the cheese can already be consumed.

Storage of Asiago cheese

Young type of cheese (presato) should be stored in the refrigerator, packed in a vacuum bag or plastic bagpackage in such a way that air does not have access to it. The temperature should be no more than 8 degrees. Shelf life - 10 days.

An older type of this 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, it is protein, which is much more in it than in meat. In addition, the protein contained in it is converted to a lighter one, which makes it easier for the body to absorb it. 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 per 100 grams of the product, and also:

• proteins - 10.9 g;
• fats – 8.11g;
• carbs - 1.15g

Based on the above, it can be concluded that the benefits of Asiago cheese are obvious.