Italian Cooking with Cheese: Polpettine di Provolone Recipe

Cheese plays a vital role in the Italian kitchen. During Roman times, cheese making was the only way to preserve highly nutritious milk before refrigeration. As a matter of fact, The Roman Empire adopted cheese making from the Middle East settlers, and refining the process into an art form. When the empire collapsed, cheese making regions became isolated. They started to develop their own unique types of cheeses, giving us the different kinds of cheeses found today. Because of this, Italian cooking revolved around this certain ingredient.

Fried Mozzarella is one example of a South Italian classic dish which utilizes fresh Mozzarella di Bufala. This cheese has a very light and creamy taste thus best-suited for as an appetizer. Provolone, also an Italian cheese, is used for cooking, dessert applications and sometimes for grating. Recipes like the Provolone Balls (Polpettine di Provolone) are standby of Italian cuisine, responsible for the classic spaghetti and meatballs. This cheese is also a must when making a traditional lasagna. The unmistakably piquant flavor of Parmigiano Reggiano, somehow similar to Swiss cheese, makes it ideal grated on top of pasta dishes. The Italian cheese basket, is a bowl made out of cheeses, which you can fill with pasta and a thick sauce, although sometimes risotto and gnocchi is used.

Italian cooking is very simple and rustic, relying more on the freshness and quality of their ingredients rather the technique involved. Fresh herbs and cheese is a must when doing Italian dishes. It is also an incredibly neutral cooking style therefore; substituting some hard-to-find Italian cheeses with some good, quality cheddar will still turn out a very pleasant dish.

The Polpettine di Provolone recipe below can give you an idea how this rustic, cooking style works.

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2.5 Pounds sharp Provolone
• 6 ounces day-old bread or breadcrumbs
• 2 cups Ready-made tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely minced
• 5 pieces eggs
• freshly ground nutmeg
• Salt and pepper
• Oil for frying
• All- purpose flour
• freshly ground nutmeg
• Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Grate the cheese and the bread. Put the breadcrumbs through a strainer, making sure that there are no large pieces. Combine them in a bowl with the cheese and the minced parsley. Season the mixture with a pinch of nutmeg, a grind of pepper, and a little salt.

Mix in three eggs. The mixture should be quite stiff so turn it out onto a floured counter top and divide it into 3 equal parts. Roll them under your palms to shape like balls, flattening them so they are about a half-inch thick. Dust with flour each balls.

While preparing the balls, set your oil to heat on the stove. It should be fairly hot but not smoking.

Beat the remaining eggs in a bowl. Dredge your cheese balls in the egg, and fry them for a couple of minutes, or until golden. Drain them on kitchen towel paper and serve them hot with the tomato sauce and pasta.

Italian Cooking is a good starting ground for beginners learning how to cook. Like most Italian dishes, this recipe is very easy and simple to do. Make this as an activity you can do with the kids; you’ll be surprised how this can whip up their appetites.