Provolone is regarded as one of the most critical cheeses in Italy. It’s a solid, grainy cow’s milk cheese with full-fat content. Most provolone wheels, dolce, and piccante are pear-shaped and rope-tied at the top, but the cheese can also be made into truncated bottle and torpedo shapes.
Provolone, like mozzarella, is a form of cheese known as pasta filata, an Italian term that means “spun paste” and refers to a stretched-curd or pulled-curd cheese. Provolone piccante is a savory cheese that has matured for longer than four months, usually between six and twelve. It is a sharper variation of the classic Provolone cheese. It’s created the same way as regular provolone, with cow’s milk cheese and a pulled curd procedure similar to mozzarella. Provolone Piccante, also known as pasta filata or “stretched out” curd, is aged and matured for ten months.
What is Provolone Piccante?
Provolone is a semi-hard cheese created in Italy from pasteurized cow’s milk. Thanks to its complex flavor profile and pleasant scent, it goes exceptionally well with salami and prosciutto. Provolone is widely served on sandwiches in Italy and a table cheese eaten at room temperature with crusty bread, olives, thin slices of cured meats, and a glass of full-bodied red wine.
Cheesemakers in the Lombardy and Veneto districts of the Po River Valley in Southern Italy began manufacturing a wider variety of a famous cheese called provola at the end of the nineteenth century. Provolone, which means “big provola,” was the result. Italian provolone, like Parmigiano Reggiano, goes through a rigorous certification process. The European Union has designated provolone Valpadana and provolone del Monaco as DOPs, ensuring that quality standards are met. Provoleta is a similar cheese that is popular in South America. Provolone is commonly manufactured in the United States in the manner of provolone dolce, a sort of aged provolone.
How Provolone Piccante is Made?
The traditional steps for creating filata pasta are as follows: Warm milk is allowed to curdle, the curds are sliced into tiny pieces, the whey is drained, and the mixture is set aside to cool. The filature, or spinning, the process begins after that. The curds are first steeped in a bath of very hot whey or water, and then most of the liquid is removed after the curds begin to float. The curd is blended and kneaded until it has the proper soft, elastic, stringy texture, then molded and matured for four months or more. The aging process and the rennet (the enzyme used to curdle the milk) manufactured from goat or lamb give provolone piccante its spicy flavor. Calf rennet is used in the production of Provolone dolce, which contributes to the cheese’s sweet flavor.
Provolone, like mozzarella, is a stretched-curd cheese that belongs to the pasta filata family. Provolone is created by allowing warm cow’s milk to curdle, separating the curds from the whey, and splitting them into minute pieces. The curds are then submerged in a hot water bath until they float to the top. The curds are then removed from the water, combined, and kneaded until they have a stretchy, stringy texture. The cheese is then brined and covered in a wax or plastic rind before being aged in a cellar.
What are the Types of Provolone?
Provolone from Italy is classified as either dolce or piccante. Smooth and creamy, provolone dolce has a sweet, nutty, buttery flavor. It’s still young, having just been aged for two to three months, and Provolone piccante has matured for a more extended time and has a sharper, saltier, and beefier flavor.
The American version of provolone is similar to the dolce version. However, it pales in contrast to the Italian version. It has a rubbery texture and a moderate flavor. Provolone is prepared in various nations, and the flavor differs according to where it’s made. The city of Cremona in northwestern Italy is the most prominent region for provolone production today, and the European Union has designated Provolone del Monaco and Provolone Valpadana as DOPs. This ensures that the cheese is made according to particular guidelines and under careful control, ensuring high quality.
Another variety of provolone is provola, which is simply a smaller variant; it comes in both plain and smoked varieties (affumicata). Provoleta, a similar cheese from South America, is served with grilled meat.
What are the Uses Of Provolone Piccante?
Provolone piccante is mostly eaten raw as a sandwich and table cheese rather than in dishes. Its flavor is enhanced when melted, so it’s excellent grated over pizzas and pasta.
Red grapes, pears, figs, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, olives, and substantial bread drizzled with olive oil go nicely with provolone piccante. If the provolone piccante is of high quality, it can be eaten as a snack, but the flavor will most likely be unappealing if it is of lower quality.
How to Store Provolone Piccante?
Wrap the cheese tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for two to three weeks to keep it fresh. Keep the cheese in its original packaging and wrap it tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Cheese lasts longer when wrapped in wax or parchment paper and plastic wrap.
Provolone piccante can also be frozen for more extended storage. Cut the cheese into tiny pieces (approximately 1/2 pound), cover in plastic wrap or foil, and place in a freezer bag with a zip-top closure. The cheese should survive two months in this condition. Keep in mind that frozen cheese loses flavor and texture with time, so it’s better to use it in prepared recipes rather than consume it raw.
If provolone piccante is dark, tough, and smells bad, it’s spoiled. If the cheese has mold but no other signs, cut an inch around it and use it. Any moldy shredded, crumbled, or sliced provolone cheese should be discarded.
What is Aged Provolone?
Provolone dolce and provolone piccante are the two types of aged provolone. It is a delicious, buttery cheese manufactured from calf’s rennet and matured for two to three months. Provolone piccante is made from goat or lamb’s rennet and matured for four to a year, giving it a harsh, acidic flavour.
Conclusion
If you can’t get provolone piccante, you might be tempted to use normal provolone instead. However, the product will be significantly less delicious and spicy, especially if it’s the American form. Fontina cheese, which has a deeper, sharper flavor, is superior. Provolone Dolce, also known as deli provolone, is a melting cheese that works well in sandwiches, casseroles, and pizza. The more robust flavor of Provolone Piccante makes it a fantastic complement to a cheese plate, as a snack, or grated onto pizzas, salads, pasta, or anything else that calls for cheese.
Provolone is a semihard Italian cheese manufactured with cow’s milk. Southern Italy’s Po Valley, especially Lombardy and Veneto, produces the cheese. The name comes from the Neapolitan terms prova or provola, which imply globe. There are two types of provolone cheese: provolone dolce (sweet) and provolone piccante (hard) (piquant). Provolone piccante is aged provolone with a stronger flavour.
