Neapolitan Classics: Provola Affumicata (smokey provola cheese)

Provola affumicata is a typical smoked cheese from the Campania region and it is the classic cheese that we use in the dish pasta e patate (pasta and potatoes). This is very easy to make, stretchy, melty and requires no cooking. It does, however, require soaking. So your active time to make this will be about 10 minutes, while soaking will take at least two hours. This makes enough cheese for a four person serving of pasta e patate and you may also use it on pizza, in toasties, spread on cracker or however else you fancy. Store in the fridge in an airtight container.

Ingredients

• 170g macadamia nuts or cashews or brazil nuts (a combination of the two or three works very well because they are all fatty nuts!)
• 2 Tablespoons psyllium
• 2 Tablespoons tapioca starch
• 1 Tablespoon sauerkraut
• 1 teaspoon smokey paprika
• 3 teaspoons liquid smoke
• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder or garlic granules
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (I prefer the ACV, but both work well)
• 440ml water (1 and 3/4 cups or 14oz) for the psyllium plus four Tablespoons for the tapioca flour

Method
Start by soaking the psyllium for two hours in 440ml water. Also soak the nuts for at least that amount of time or overnight if you do not have a high speed blender. The psyllium will become gelatinous.

When you are ready to make the cheese, take four Tablespoons of water from the nut soaking water and add that to the tapioca starch to dissolve it well. Try to smooth out all the lumps.

Drain the nuts.

Place the tapioca liquid, the gelatinous psyllium, nuts and all other ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour out into a dish or sealable container. Let it cool off on the counter for a hour and then place in the refrigerator for an hour or two. It will set very quickly.

Veganism is for everyone