Provoleta (Grilled Provolone Cheese)

By David Tanis

Provoleta (Grilled Provolone Cheese)
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(162)
Comments
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In Argentina, a thick slice of provoleta, a provolone-type cheese, is cooked over coals until browned and bubbling, then served as a mouthwatering appetizer with bread. It’s a bit like fondue or queso fundido but not quite as molten and melty. Typically, a large meal, or asado, of grilled sweetbreads, sausages and various cuts of beef follows, but provoleta makes a great snack with drinks, regardless of what you serve afterward. For ease of preparation, provoleta can be cooked in a cast-iron pan, under the broiler or baked in a hot oven. If you want success at cooking provoleta the traditional way, directly on the grill, leave the cheese uncovered at room temperature for several hours or overnight to dry the exterior a bit. A dab of chimichurri salsa is usually served alongside.

Featured in: The Allure of Argentina’s Bubbling Cheese

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

    For the Chimichurri

    • ½cup finely chopped parsley
    • 1tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
    • 2 or 3garlic cloves, minced
    • ½cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • Salt and pepper, to taste
    • Large pinch of crushed red pepper
    • 1tablespoon red wine vinegar
    • 2tablespoons cold water

    For the Cheese

    • 8ounces provolone cheese, sliced at least 1 inch thick
    • 1tablespoon roughly chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
    • ½teaspoon crushed red pepper
    • 1baguette, sliced in ½-inch rounds, toasted, if desired
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

436 calories; 29 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 16 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 580 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the chimichurri: In a small bowl, stir together the parsley, oregano, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, crushed red pepper, vinegar and water. Thin with a little more water, if necessary, to make a pourable sauce. Set aside to let flavors meld. Sauce may be prepared up to 1 hour in advance.

  2. Step 2

    Set a small cast-iron pan over medium-high heat (or over hot coals). When pan is hot, put in the cheese. Sprinkle with half the oregano and crushed red pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Cook for about 2 minutes, until the bottom begins to brown. Carefully flip the cheese with a spatula and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, until the second side is browned and the cheese is beginning to ooze. Transfer cheese to a plate and sprinkle with remaining oregano and crushed red pepper. Serve immediately, accompanied with bread and chimichurri. (Alternatively, finish the cheese by putting it under the broiler or in a hot oven.)

Ratings

4 out of 5
162 user ratings
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Comments

Claire

Finally, an authentic Argentinian recipe for chimichurri. Too many chimichurri recipes call for cilantro, which I never saw in Argentina.

Su

But isn't chimichurri precisely the local version of salsa verde -- green sauce -- in the sense that most cuisines in most places have a version of a green sauce and this is Argentina's? I don't see this as demeaning South American culture, but as helping readers fit this sauce into the trans-border grammars of cooking.

Ellen Tabor

The only problem, if you can call it that, with provoleta is that it is so delicious that it's really hard to enjoy the asado that comes afterwards! There is also an Italian recipe, whose name I forget, that uses scamorza cheese, which is quite a lot like provola. In this case, you take two thick slices of scamorza lightly dusted with flour on the side that will be on the frying pan, place some fat anchovies between them and fry, quickly (so it doesn't melt all over) and gently.

Heidi S.

This note is for people contemplating using pre-sliced provolone cheese. Even if you stack up it to 1 inch tall, it doesn't fry up well. It just spreads out and sticks to the pan. Probably better to toast the bread and cheese together, and serve with the chimichurri, which was great.

Barbara

This is just divine, as is. I usually use a different recipe for chimichurri, but made this according to the recipe and it was just right with the cheese. I could only get 1/2” thick provolone, and it worked well.

Jerry

I’ve seen something similar to this done in Sardinia. I don’t remember what kind of cheese it was, but I’m guessing pecorino. A big chunk of cheese was impaled in a wood skewer and propped up next to a roaring fireplace. It was rotated occasionally by hand until it was heated through and starting to drip. Yummy!

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