Fried Cheese
(“Formaggio Fritto “ – “Caciocavallo all’Argentiera”)
My uncle Ferdinando lived all his life in my paternal house, my siblings and I loved him more like a father than an uncle, he treated us as if we were his own children.
In Palermo, we usually had supper at 8 PM, and when it was merenda time,- the afternoon snack about 4 PM- Uncle Ferdinando would ask me and my siblings if we would like to taste the snack he was going to prepare. He would not tell us what he was going to make and our usual answer was that nobody wanted it!
Zio Ferdinando knew how to prepare only a few dishes, but what he cooked was very tasty and appetizing.
One of his specialties was cacio all’argintera.
This simple dish has exceptional taste and incomparable fragrance.
The smell of the cheese, garlic, vinegar and oregano would attract us into the kitchen and without fail, he would invite the gang to sit with him at the kitchen table and share this appetizing dish accompanied with sour dough panini which are a Palermo’s specialty.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- 4 large cloves of garlic (crushed)
- 4 slices of Caciocavallo, about ¾ lb (Can be substituted with Mexican frying cheese)
- ½ teaspoon of oregano
- pinch of pepper
- 4 tablespoons of vinegar
- ½ tablespoon of sugar
In a no stick skillet heat the oil on a medium heat; add the garlic, the slices of cheese and lower the heat.
Cook covered for 1 minute, turn the cheese over and cook covered for an additional 1 minute, or until golden in color.
Remove skillet from fire, add the oregano and pepper, transfer the fried cheese to the serving dish.
Add the vinegar and sugar into the hot oil, cook for about 1-2 minutes until part of the liquid evaporates.
Cover the cheese with this sweet- sour sauce, use the garlic as garnish and serve immediately with fresh Italian bread.
