Grant’s Provoleta
I can’t take much credit for this one- it was all my brother Grant. (Except I suppose I grew the basil and supplied the balsamic drizzle since I had it from Kellen’s birthday pizza.) He prepared the rest.
Grant spends a few weeks every winter in Argentina for work. He’s picked up a few things along the way, including this cast iron provoleta pan. I’ll do my best to find an alternative to share at the bottom, since I’m guessing most of you aren’t headed to Argentina soon.
Fun fact: Provoleta is an Argentinian variant of provolone cheese. Although they are not quite the same, provolone is a lot easier to come by in our area, so it works.
The combination of tomato, basil, balsamic and cheese is the epitome of summer flavor to me. Fresh, savory, just a little bit sweet- perfection.
Ingredients:
Two thick cut pieces of provolone- about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. You can ask the deli at the grocery store or the butcher shop to cut them to this for you.
Oregano
Tajin
Pint of cherry or grape tomatoes- sliced length wise
Handful of fresh basil
Olive Oil
French bread
Balsamic Glaze - recommend De Nigris brand. I need to take a minute to talk about this, because it was kind of a surprise. I needed this while out at the lake a couple weeks ago, so I got whatever was available. Compared to a few others I’ve had that came from specialty stores and would be considered more “gourmet,” the De Nigris brand has by far the best flavor. Save your money and just try this one.
Instructions:
Turn the grill on medium and allow to heat up.
Season the provolone with oregano and tajin- to taste (This version did not have Tajin. It was forgotten and we were at the lake. The corner store nearest to the cabin most definitely wouldn’t have carried it.)
Cut the cheese up into equal sized pieces and place into the proveleta pan.
Turn the stove on to low heat. Dump in the tomatoes and coat in olive oil. This will cook slowly while you prepare everything else, just don’t forget to stir them occasionally. You will know they’re done when the are soft and wrinkled.
Slice the French bread and coat both sides in olive oil.
Place sliced bread and provoleta pan onto the grill together.
You’ll want to watch this so nothing burns. Depending on your grill temp, it will take about ten minutes. Flip bread half way through.
Remove bread and cheese from the grill and arrange the bread on a platter. Be very careful with the cast iron as it will be extremely hot. Use a fork to remove the cheese and place evenly among the bread.
Scoop the tomatoes out of the pan and arrange on the bread with the cheese.
Sprinkle with basil to taste- I like a lot of basil, Grant likes a little, you’ll know what you want to do here.
Drizzle with balsamic and serve while cheese is still hot.
Went well with the peaches and cheese bread too!
