PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO

Parmigiano-Reggiano is a mouthful. Saying Parmesan cheese is easier, but it does not guarantee that you will get genuine Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese imported from Italy. Only Parmigiano-Reggiano has the sparkle and complexity of mellow and edgy flavors and the slightly crunchy texture that makes it among the best cheese in the world.

The care and passion required to make Parmigiano-Reggiano proves that old fashioned values remain strong in at least one part of the world. Every single day in the Italian provinces of Parma, Emelia Reggio and Modena, milk from cows fed only local grasses, alfalfa and grain is collected in the morning and at night. The milk may be turned into cheese at the farm, but it is usually delivered to a cooperative where a casero, or dairyman hired by the farmers, turns it into large wheels of cheese. This process requires at least 12 months, or up to 2 years, for optimum aging.

Many of the caseros have worked their entire lives making Parmigiano-Reggiano, passing their knowledge along to their sons who often have to work with their fathers for up to 15 years before being qualified to supervise a day's production on their own.

Last fall, I watched the intense choreography between father and son, as they worked together coagulating the milk, breaking it into curds, and gathering them into cheesecloth to make two 70-80 pound wheels of cheese. I also saw how the cheese is brined, aged, and inspected. Only when it meets the stringent requirements of the governing Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano is a wheel branded with the month, year and identity of the dairy producing it, allowing you to trace a cheese back to the milk from which it was made.

If Parmigiano-Reggiano seems expensive, it helps to remember that every morsel, including the crust, is edible. You can even toss the rind into a pot of soup. Don't worry about the writing on the rind; it is simply the natural darkening of tiny indentations made in the cheese.

Because it is made from partly skimmed milk, Parmigiano-Reggiano contains less fat than many types of cheese. One tablespoon, grated over pasta, adds just 28 calories and 2 grams of fat. As this recipe proves, just a tablespoon may be all you need to reap its strong, flavorful rewards.

CROSTINI ALLA PARMIGIANA

1 lb. loaf good-quality Tuscan or Italian peasant bread
1 (5-oz.) chunk Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 extra-large or jumbo egg white
Cayenne pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the bread into 1/2-inch slices. Discarding the ends, there should be about 12 slices. Cut the larger slices diagonally in half. Shred the cheese, instead of grating it, so that it will melt nicely.

In a small bowl, use a fork to beat the egg white until it is foamy. Add the cheese and cayenne, mixing to combine them with the egg white.

Spread a tablespoon of the cheese mixture over each slice of bread, flattening it with the tines of a fork to cover the bread in a very thin layer. Arrange the cheese-covered bread in a single layer on baking sheets.

Bake until the cheese is melted and golden around the edges and coloring on top, about 10 minutes. Transfer the crostini to baking racks.

Serve them warm or at room temperature.

Each of the 24 pieces contains 84 calories and 2 grams of fat
Source: Dana Jacobi for the American Institute for Cancer Research