“Provolone del Monaco” PDO Italian Semi-Hard Cheese

Description

Provolone del Monaco PDO, Italian semi-hard cheese (PDO) from Campania

The Provolone del Monaco PDO is an Italian semi-hard cheese with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)  is a matured, semi-hard pasta filata cheese from the province of Naples. It is made exclusively from the raw milk of cows raised in the protected PDO area of the Monti Lattari and the Sorrentine Peninsula.

Flavour and ageing

After at least 180 days of ageing the cheese has a sweetish, buttery flavour with a light, pleasantly piquant note. With longer ageing its aroma becomes more intense. The cream-coloured to yellowish paste is elastic, compact and soft, showing the typical small “partridge eyes”.

Traditional production

The PDO specification prescribes a strictly limited origin and traditional processing. At least 20% of the milk used comes from cattle of the autochthonous Agerolese type. The characteristic shape recalls a slightly elongated melon or a headless pear; the fine longitudinal grooves are created by the traditional rush bindings.

Product details

• Product: Provolone del Monaco PDO
• Weight: 3 kg
• Type of cheese: semi-hard pasta filata cheese made from raw milk
• Ageing: at least 6 months
• Origin: PDO area in the province of Naples, Italy
• Flavour: sweetish and buttery, slightly piquant

• The aroma: as soon as it is cut, it releases an intense, seductive aroma of fresh mountain herbs, sweet hay and roasted nuts that whets the appetite instantly.
• The texture: Its consistency is an absolute dream – creamy, butter-soft and velvety. As soon as the cheese touches the tongue it melts away elegantly, coating the palate completely.
• The flavour: an explosive interplay unfolds on the tongue. It begins milky-sweet, almost like liquid butter, then turns into a piquant, slightly sharp note and leaves an endlessly long, nutty, savoury finish.

Serving suggestion

On its own on a cheese board, as an antipasto or finely grated over pasta, the Provolone del Monaco develops its full aroma. In Campania it is traditionally also used for “Pasta e Patate”.

Allergy note: Contains milk.

• pH value: Typically lies in the range of 5.1 to 5.4. During ageing, the progressive breakdown of residual lactose creates a stable acidic environment.
• Lipid profile (fatty acids): Studies on lipid composition show that medium-chain fatty acids (from C11 to C16) account for around 43% of the total. The use of kid rennet (caglio in pasta di capretto) breaks down specific fatty acids, giving the cheese its typical piquant sharpness after 6 months. 
• Proteolysis & nitrogen fractions: Thanks to ageing with raw milk (without added starter cultures), the native microflora (above all Lacticaseibacillus casei/paracasei and Streptococcus thermophilus) is highly active. This leads to an intense release of water-soluble nitrogen and free amino acids, as well as a measurable release of ammonia

Recipes:

• • Ingredients (for 4 people):
    • • 400g spaghetti (preferably from Gragnano)
      • 100g Provolone del Monaco PDO (finely grated)
      • 30g Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino (finely grated)
      • 4-5 fresh courgettes (cut into very thin slices)
      • 2 garlic cloves
      • Plenty of fresh basil
      • Plenty of olive oil (for frying and tossing)
      • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • Preparation:
    1. 1. Fry the courgettes: Fry the thin courgette slices in hot olive oil until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and let them rest in a bowl with a little salt and plenty of torn basil.
       2. Cook the pasta: Cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted water. Be absolutely sure to save two ladles of pasta water before draining!
       3. Flavour: In a large pan, gently heat a little olive oil with the garlic cloves until the garlic is fragrant (then remove it). Add the fried courgettes.
       4. The magic (mantecatura): Add the dripping-wet spaghetti to the courgettes in the pan. Remove the pan from the heat. Now add the grated Provolone del Monaco, the Parmesan and a ladle of the hot pasta water.
       5. Toss until creamy: Toss and stir everything vigorously. The starch in the pasta water and the fat of the cheese work like magic to create a silky, creamy emulsion that coats the pasta perfectly. Serve with fresh basil and pepper.

• • Ingredients:
    • • 1 artisan-baked ciabatta or country bread (cut into thick slices)
      • 150g Provolone del Monaco PDO (cut into thin slices)
      • 4 fresh, ripe figs (cut into wedges)
      • Some creamy, dark balsamic vinegar (or fig mustard)
      • A few sprigs of fresh thyme
      • Good olive oil

  • Preparation:
    1. 1. Drizzle the bread slices with a little olive oil and toast them golden brown in a pan or in the oven.
       2. Top the hot crostini generously with the slices of Provolone del Monaco straight away. With the residual heat of the bread, the cheese immediately begins to melt slightly and release its aroma.
       3. Spread the fresh fig wedges on top.
       4. Drizzle with a few drops of balsamic vinegar (or fig mustard) and garnish with fresh thyme leaves. Enjoy warm!

Our wine recommendation: “Fiano di Avellino or Greco di Tufo”!