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Broiled Provolone with Italian Herbs and Crackers

Zola on

When people call me to let me know they are accepting an invitation to dinner at our house, they often follow the “yes, we’d love to come” with “what can we bring?”

Easy question. Often a difficult one to answer....

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Broiled Provolone with Italian Herbs and Crackers

Two basic ingredients and some herbs. Simple elegance at its finest.

Servings: Serves 6 for a light appetizer

Ingredients:

 

one 1-inch thick wheel of provolone (the wheels are usually about 5 inches in diameter; close in size is fine)
your favorite crackers to serve with cheese (12 to 20 of them)
4 Tbl olive oil
dried Italian herbs (in a jar) to taste
sea salt to taste

Instructions:

Preheat your broiler. Put in one tablespoon of oil in a metal or glass pie pan. Swish it around. Place the disk of cheese on top. Drizzle the rest of the oil on top. The oil will drift off the sides but don't worry. Sprinkle with dried herbs and grate sea salt on top. Place six to eight inches below the broiler element. Broil for up to seven minutes (check it at five minutes) or until slightly browned and puffy in spots on top. The edges will crisp. Watch out for splattering oil. It's HOT. It might smoke a little too. That's okay. Carefully slide the broiled provolone out of the pie pan and onto a serving plate. Coax it with your spatula. The oil will come along with the cheese, so make sure your serving plate has a lip on it.

Serve the crackers on the side. Tell your guests to dig in quick! They can stretch the cheese using a couple of knives to "pull it apart" and cut bite-sized pieces. Stack a slice on a cracker and enjoy. The cheese will begin to immediately get chewier as time passes, so encourage them to dig right in.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola


 

 

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