Composition of Asiago cheese, useful properties of the product, contraindications to use. How is it eaten and what can be prepared from it in the home kitchen?
Asiago cheese (Asyago) is a healthy and moderately high-calorie product that is very popular in Italy and little-known in Russia. The cheese has a spicy flavor, the intensity of which depends on the duration of aging. The maximum maturation period is 2 years. Asiago has a pleasant aroma, which combines fruity and nutty notes. The smell of aged cheese is reminiscent of toasted bread. The product is made from Alpine cow's milk, so it is quite expensive.
Features of the preparation of Asiago cheese
Historians find it difficult to answer the question of who exactly told mankind about how to make Asiago cheese and under what circumstances the first portion of this product was released. It is known that this happened about 1000 years ago. Experts focus only on the usefulness of cheese and its low calorie content. Most hard cheeses have a detrimental effect on the figure of people prone to overweight. At the same time, Asiago can be eaten even while dieting (in a reasonable amount).
How Asiago Cheese is Prepared:
- Heating up whole milk to a certain degree.
- The addition of rennet, which is necessary for the rapid clotting of milk.
- Grinding the formed layer of curd into pieces.
- Heating chopped curd and re-grinding it.
- Salting small pieces of cottage cheese.
- Transferring the future cheese into forms covered with canvas.
- Compaction of the curd mass in molds and its placement in a special room with stable humidity and low temperature.
- Lowering the temperature in the room with cheese after 4 days.
- Waiting for the required degree of cheese ripening.
If you want to cook Asiago yourself, be patient, 3 liters of fatty cow's milk and a set of substances that can only be bought in a specialized store: an enzyme for curdling milk, a special ferment and calcium chloride.
Homemade Asiago Cheese Recipe:
- Heat milk to 23 ° C.
- Pour the yeast and calcium chloride into it (read the proportions of the substances on their packaging).
- Leave the mixture at rest for a while (1 hour is sufficient).
- Cut the curd of cheese that forms in the milk into small pieces and leave them for 15-20 minutes.
- Heat the curd to 32 ° C and stir for 14-16 minutes.
- Without stopping the stirring of the cheese, increase the heat to 41 ° C and maintain the temperature for 24 minutes.
- Raise the temperature again by 7 ° C and stir the cheese at this temperature for 14 minutes.
- Leave the future Asiago with this temperature for 20 minutes. Remember to stir it occasionally.
- Transfer the resulting cheese to a thick gauze or cloth, cover everything with a 2 kg weight.
- After 30 minutes, turn the cheese over, changing the fabric to fresh, and cover it with a heavier weight (4 kg).
- After 2 hours, remove the cheese from the cloth and place in a clean dish. In this position, the product should be kept in a room with room temperature for 7 hours.
- Prepare the brine - dissolve 125 g of salt in 500 ml of water. Submerge the cheese in the prepared liquid for 4 hours.
- Now let the product dry in the refrigerator for a few days. Remember to turn Asiago's head twice a day to dry the product evenly.
- Place the resulting product in a vacuum package and leave to ripen, which should last at least 30 days. At the end of the specified period, cheese can be safely eaten.
See also the peculiarities of making Conte cheese.
Composition and calorie content of Asiago cheese
The composition of Asiago cheese is as simple as possible: it contains only high-quality cow's milk, salt and rennet. Despite this, the product is able to enrich the human body with a lot of nutrients. Further on the chemical composition of cheese.
The calorie content of Asiago cheese per 100 g is 122 kcal, of which:
- Proteins - 10, 9 g;
- Fat - 8, 1 g;
- Carbohydrates - 1, 2 g;
- Dietary fiber - 0 g;
- Water - 0 g.
The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates is 1: 0, 7: 0, 1, respectively.
Minerals per 100 g of product
- Calcium, Ca - 717 mg;
- Iron, Fe - 0.41 mg;
- Magnesium, Mg - 27 mg;
- Phosphorus, P - 468 mg;
- Potassium, K - 134 mg;
- Sodium, Na - 628 mg;
- Zinc, Zn - 2.81 mg;
- Copper, Cu - 0.031 mg;
- Manganese, Mn - 0, 008 mg;
- Selenium, Se - 14.5 mcg.
Vitamins in 100 g of Asiago cheese
- Thiamine - 0.013 mg;
- Riboflavin - 0.32 mg;
- Nicotinic acid - 0, 103 mg;
- Pantothenic acid - 0.19 mg;
- Vitamin B6 - 0.056 mg;
- Folate - 12 mcg;
- Folic acid - 12 mcg;
- Choline - 15.4 mg;
- Vitamin B-12 - 1.47 mcg;
- Vitamin A - 298 mcg;
- Retinol - 297 mcg;
- Carotene - 13 mcg;
- Vitamin E, alpha-tocopherol - 0.26 mg;
- Vitamin D - 0.6 mcg;
- Vitamin D3, cholecalciferol - 0.6 mcg;
- Vitamin K, phylloquinone - 2.5 mcg.
Lipids per 100 g of product
- Fatty acids, saturated - 19, 113 g;
- Fatty acids, monounsaturated - 8, 711 g;
- Fatty acids, polyunsaturated - 0, 661 g;
- Cholesterol - 96 mg
Amino acids per 100 g of product
- Tryptophan - 0.327 g;
- Threonine - 0.888 g;
- Isoleucine - 1, 145 g;
- Leucine - 2, 26 g;
- Lysine - 2, 139 g;
- Methionine - 0.569 g;
- Cystine - 0, 132 g;
- Phenylalanine - 1.24 g;
- Tyrosine - 1, 123 g;
- Valine - 1.482 g;
- Arginine - 0.881 g;
- Histidine - 0.829 g;
- Alanine - 0.675 g;
- Aspartic acid - 1.6 g;
- Glutamic acid - 5, 555 g;
- Glycine - 0.44 g;
- Proline - 2, 594 g;
- Serine - 1, 299
On a note! The quality of aged Asiago can be determined by its structure: the presence of crystallized pulp and crunch when chewing it indicates that the cheese contains a large amount of tyrosine, useful for humans. Also keep in mind that the ideal Asiago pulp should have a pleasant beige color.
Useful properties of Asiago cheese
The benefits of Asiago cheese lie in its rich chemical composition, for example, the product contains a lot of easily digestible protein and other nutrients. The cheese is made from the world-famous Alpine milk - a healthy and environmentally friendly product. Alpine cows graze on green meadows full of medicinal herbs and flowers, so their milk has a special taste and contains a large amount of nutrients.
The main beneficial properties of Asiago:
- Strengthens inert tissue and optimizes the regeneration of its damaged areas - it contains a lot of phosphorus and calcium, therefore it is useful for a growing body and people suffering from osteoporosis.
- Optimizes digestion due to the presence of beneficial lactic enzymes in the composition.
- Favorably affects the condition of hair and skin - cheese contains a lot of minerals and vitamins, the regular use of which can significantly improve the appearance of the human body.
Read more about the health benefits of Brenne d'Amour cheese.
Contraindications and harm to Asiago cheese
Nutritionists only superficially recall the dangers of Asiago cheese, because this product is not high in calories and does not contain mold. It can be aged for years in special rooms, due to which there is no liquid left in it for the development of pathogenic microflora.
Asiago cheese recipes
Cheese is widely used in traditional Italian cuisine. Young Asiago is useful for making panini (a type of Italian sandwich) or slicing. It goes well with fruits and drinks (wine, juices). But hard cheese is often used as an ingredient in second courses: it can be added to cream soups, salads and various snacks. Pasta with Asiago cheese is very popular in Italian restaurants.
Please note that professional chefs do not recommend buying finely grated Asiago: such a product dries up and loses its useful properties even in the store. It is better to give preference to cheese in bars and grind it yourself in your kitchen just before use.
A few simple recipes for dishes with Asiago cheese:
- Cheese salad with pasta … Boil 450 g of your favorite pasta according to the instructions on its package. Prepare 440 grams of chickpeas. Combine the pasta, peas, and 1 bunch of arugula in a large bowl. Pour 0.5 cups of coarsely chopped olives and the same amount of dried tomatoes here. Add some rustic artichokes to the salad. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and pour over the pincemonio sauce (a mixture of olive oils, salt and allspice). Place the salad in a serving dish and sprinkle with grated Asiago cheese. Serve chilled salad.
- Baked potatoes with cheese … Prepare 500 g of fennel for use - cut it in half and then discard the stump. Cut the fennel into thin, oblong pieces. Using the same principle, cut 700 g of thoroughly washed potatoes (you do not need to peel the skin). Prepare a deep baking dish, brush it with butter. Spread the potatoes and fennel in alternating layers in the pan. Season each new layer with salt, pepper and grated Asiago. In total, for the preparation of this dish, you will need 120 g of cheese. Put butter on the last layer of the casserole and pour 0.5 tbsp. medium-fat cream. Bake the dish for about 45 minutes. As soon as the ingredients are soft and can easily be pierced with a wooden skewer, the dish can be sprinkled with a little cheese and sent to the oven for just a couple of minutes. When the cheese acquires a golden brown crust, the dish can be served to guests.
- Spaghetti with potatoes and zucchini … Peel and cut 3 large young potatoes into strips. Boil vegetables in slightly salted water for 8 minutes. Add 450 g of spaghetti to the potato pan and cook the ingredients for another 8 minutes. During this time, peel 6 small zucchini and also cut them into thin sticks. Add the zucchini to the saucepan and cook for 4 minutes. Drain the water from the pot into a separate bowl. In a serving bowl, place the spaghetti with additional ingredients, pour a few tablespoons of the boiled water and olive oil over them. Season the dish with salt and pepper. Sprinkle spaghetti generously with grated Asiago and, stirring, serve.
- Brussels sprouts with cheese … Prepare 500 g of Brussels sprouts for use: peel the head of cabbage from spoiled leaves and cut into two equal parts. Cook the cabbage for 8-9 minutes, until tender. Fry 1 shallots (finely chopped) in olive oil. Sprinkle the cooked onion with 1 tbsp. l. wheat flour and mix everything thoroughly. Add 0.5 tbsp to the skillet. skim milk and 2 tbsp. l. sherry. Pour the milk into the flour slowly and stir the contents of the pan quickly to avoid clumping. Boil all ingredients in a skillet and simmer for a few minutes (2-3). Remove the mixture from the stove. Add 60 g of grated Asyago to it. Stir the resulting mixture and season it with salt and pepper - the cabbage sauce is ready. Now place the cabbage on a serving dish and pour over the prepared gravy. Bon Appetit!
On a note! Cheese must be stored wrapped in plastic wrap or in a plastic container and only in the refrigerator. In this case, the air temperature should not exceed 8 ° C. Fresh Asiago can be stored for no more than 10 days, and mature - 1 month.
Interesting facts about Asiago cheese
Asiago cheese is named after the locality where it was produced a thousand years ago. It is worth noting that the manufacture of the product does not stop here to this day.
According to official law, Asiago can only be produced in two places - in Trento and in the area of the city where it was first made. Despite this, cheese makers from other regions of Italy make cheeses using the Asiago technology and give them different names.
If you want to purchase the original Asiago, carefully read the markings on the head of the cheese - it is important that the name and the D. O. P. emblem are imprinted on the product.
According to statistics, Asiago ranks fourth in the ranking of the most popular cheeses in Italy. According to surveys, 95% of Italian residents eat this product at least once a week. Therefore, this type of cheese is sold in almost all supermarkets in the country. At the same time, the majority of Russian citizens do not know Asiago at all.
Watch a video about Asiago cheese:
Asiago cheese is nutritious and at the same time safe for the figure. It has an original fruity and nutty flavor and is considered quite useful. You can even make this cheese at home.
