Parmesan Cheese

Cheese is made using cow milk, buffalo milk, goat milk, sheep milk, etc. Proteins and fat from milk are used to make cheese. Coagulation of the milk produces protein casein, which is separated to make cheese. There are many different types of cheese made all over the world. Cheese is one of the foods, which is made almost in all parts of the world in a wide range of flavors, textures and forms. One of the most famous types of cheese is Parmesan cheese. It is an Italian type of cheese, which is called Parmigiano-Reggiano. It is named after the region of its origin namely Parma, Reggio, Emilia, Modena, Bologna and Mantova. According to the Italian law, cheese which is produced in any of the regions mentioned above can be labeled as Parmigiano-Reggiano. In Europe, this cheese falls under the protected designation of origin law.

Parmesan Cheese

It is a hard variety of cheese and has granules. The cheese is dense and large grains in the cheese can be seen easily with naked eye. The cheese is sharp and dry. The main Parmesan cheese ingredient is skimmed cow milk. It has straw color and a rich flavor. It is normally aged 12 to 16 months, however, the one which comes from Italy is aged up to 2 years. To make about one kilo of cheese, approximately 16 liters of milk is used. This brings us to Parmesan cheese nutrition facts. There are 431 calories in 100 gram of this cheese, out of which 257 come from fat.

Parmesan Cheese Recipes

Now you certainly will want to know some recipes using this processed cheese. It goes perfectly well with spaghetti as well as other Italian pasta. Other than these, it can be used to make a variety of other dishes as well.

Parmesan Cheese Sauce
There are a number of recipes, which can be used to make cheese sauce. This is one of the simple recipes, which can be used to make creamy sauce and tastes well with steamed vegetables and pasta. We will now see the Parmesan cheese sauce recipe.

Ingredients

• ½ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup low fat milk
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 ½ tbsp butter
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 pinch paprika

Method

• In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
• When the butter melts, add flour to the butter and stir constantly ensuring the flour does not stick to the skillet.
• Continue to stir the flour, till it is golden in color.
• Reduce the heat to low and gradually add milk to the butter and flour mixture and bring the ingredients to a boil.
• Continue to cook the milk till the mixture thickens.
• Now add cheese, salt, pepper and paprika to the mixture and stir continuously.
• Remove from heat and use the cheese sauce immediately.

Baked Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese
This is one of my favorite recipes using Parmesan cheese. You can use this dish either as an appetizer or as a side dish. The balsamic vinegar in the recipe lends it a great taste.

Ingredients

• 1 lbs. thin asparagus spears
• 1 ounce shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method

• While you get the asparagus ready, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
• On a baking sheet, line the asparagus.
• Drizzle olive oil on the asparagus and ensure that the asparagus spears are well coated with the oil.
• Rearrange the spears in a single line and now spread shredded cheese on them.
• Sprinkle salt and pepper on the cheese.
• Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and let the asparagus bake for 12 to 15 minutes, till cheese melts and asparagus is crisp and tender.
• Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Now that you know about Parmesan cheese, when do you plan to make some recipes using this cheese? Just a small tip, it is best not to use the bottled Parmesan cheese, as it may not taste as it actually should.