Asiago d'allevo

Asiago d’allevo

What it is

The Asiago plateau was sheep country first, and the cheese was made from ewes' milk until cattle displaced the flocks around the sixteenth century. Allevo marks the wheel made to be kept: under one DOP name, it and the soft young pressato are in practice two unrelated cheeses that no counter should sell as the same thing.

In the kitchen

Take it vecchio at ten months to slice and stravecchio past fifteen to grate — that is when the crystals appear and it stops melting cleanly. Grate it over a hot soup at the table rather than stirring it in: held at a simmer it separates and goes oily.

Goes with

Corn Honey Walnut Pear Black pepper Balsamic vinegar Prosciutto di Parma Rye berries

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