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Vella Mezzo Secco Dry Monterey Jack Cheese, 2 lbs - 2.5 lbs.
Mezzo Secco represents Vella Cheese’s attempt to return to the 1930s. The genesis for this cheese lies in the need for a soft or medium soft cheese to hold up during the hot summer months in an "ice box." In California from the 1920's thru 1946, mechanical household refrigerators were found only in the homes of the wealthy, or in commercial establishments. The majority of households by far had iceboxes that were cooled by a melting block of ice. When summer weather came, milk and butter were placed directly onto the ice box, and other foods that needed cooling--including fresh cheese--were left to fend for themselves in the adjoining compartment.
Consumers requested a firmer fresh Jack that would not get runny, yet was not as firm as dry Monterey Jack. A midway formula evolved, hence Mezzo Secco, and was offered for sale from May to October, At the end of World War II, when mechanical household refrigeration became cheaply available, Vella Cheese stopped making Mezzo Secco.
In 1999, Mezzo Secco was revived and awarded a silver medal in the US Cheese Championships. Mezzo Secco is a delicious complement to the line of Dry Monterey Jacks, and continues to earn national and international recognition. Mezzo Secco is aged a minimum of four to seven months.
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Preparing Vella Cheese for Cooking
When you cook with cheese, you typically will slice, shred, grate, or crumble the cheese before using it in your special recipes. Some of our cheeses are soft, like Toma, and other cheeses are very hard, like Golden Bear Dry Jack or Oro Secco. Here are some suggestions for preparing our cheeses:
Hand Slicing Cheese - While you can hand-slice any of our cheeses, Toma, our softest, moistest cheese, should only be hand sliced. Try putting a block of Toma into the freezer for a half hour before slicing will firm it up a bit for more uniform slicing. But don’t serve Toma too cold or you will lose grater/shreddersome of its delicious, creamy flavor.
Shredding Cheese - The High Moisture Monterey Jack Cheeses, either original or naturally flavored, do well either sliced or shredded. You can use a hand shredder or simplify your work with the shredding blade of a food processor. If you leave the cheese at room temperature for an hour or so, it will be shredded cheeseeasier to shred.
Many of our Dry Jacks, including Mezzo Secco, Romanello Dolce, and Dry Monterey Jack shred very nicely as do our Italian Style and Cheddar cheeses. Many of our cheeses are coated with yummy flavorings such as pepper and chocolate, so definitely include the coating when you shred the cheese.
Grating Cheese - Our oldest, driest cheeses can be a challenge to shred. Grate them instead. Our aged dry cheeses: Oro Secco, Special Select and Golden Bear Dry Jack, and Habañero Dry Jack should all be grated into tiny pieces. You can do this with the grating side of a simple cheese grater, a box grater, or other specialty cheese grater of your choice (there are many to pick from). Like with shredding, you should include the flavorful coating as you grate. Grated cheese will be much finer than shredded cheese.
Relating Cheese Weight to Volume
Cheese is typically sold in blocks, wedges, or wheels—by weight. Recipes give volume measurements, like 1 cup.
So, how do they relate?
While each cheese may be different, we did a quick test.
We hand-grated Monterey Dry Jack with a box grater until we weighed out ¼ lb. of grated cheese.
Yield: more than 1 ¼ cup of grated cheese.
We then shredded and weighed out ¼ lb. of Monterey Dry Jack, using a (Kitchen Aid) food processor with this basic shredding blade.
Yield: more than 1 ¼ cup of shredded cheese.
In either case, you should grate or shred first, and measure second, as not every bit of your cheese will be processed.
But those left over hunks sure are delicious!!
RecipesPreparing Vella Cheese for Cooking
When you cook with cheese, you typically will slice, shred, grate, or crumble the cheese before using it in your special recipes. Some of our cheeses are soft, like Toma, and other cheeses are very hard, like Golden Bear Dry Jack or Oro Secco. Here are some suggestions for preparing our cheeses:
Hand Slicing Cheese - While you can hand-slice any of our cheeses, Toma, our softest, moistest cheese, should only be hand sliced. Try putting a block of Toma into the freezer for a half hour before slicing will firm it up a bit for more uniform slicing. But don’t serve Toma too cold or you will lose grater/shreddersome of its delicious, creamy flavor.
Shredding Cheese - The High Moisture Monterey Jack Cheeses, either original or naturally flavored, do well either sliced or shredded. You can use a hand shredder or simplify your work with the shredding blade of a food processor. If you leave the cheese at room temperature for an hour or so, it will be shredded cheeseeasier to shred.
Many of our Dry Jacks, including Mezzo Secco, Romanello Dolce, and Dry Monterey Jack shred very nicely as do our Italian Style and Cheddar cheeses. Many of our cheeses are coated with yummy flavorings such as pepper and chocolate, so definitely include the coating when you shred the cheese.
Grating Cheese - Our oldest, driest cheeses can be a challenge to shred. Grate them instead. Our aged dry cheeses: Oro Secco, Special Select and Golden Bear Dry Jack, and Habañero Dry Jack should all be grated into tiny pieces. You can do this with the grating side of a simple cheese grater, a box grater, or other specialty cheese grater of your choice (there are many to pick from). Like with shredding, you should include the flavorful coating as you grate. Grated cheese will be much finer than shredded cheese.
Relating Cheese Weight to Volume
Cheese is typically sold in blocks, wedges, or wheels—by weight. Recipes give volume measurements, like 1 cup.
So, how do they relate?
While each cheese may be different, we did a quick test.
We hand-grated Monterey Dry Jack with a box grater until we weighed out ¼ lb. of grated cheese.
Yield: more than 1 ¼ cup of grated cheese.
We then shredded and weighed out ¼ lb. of Monterey Dry Jack, using a (Kitchen Aid) food processor with this basic shredding blade.
Yield: more than 1 ¼ cup of shredded cheese.
In either case, you should grate or shred first, and measure second, as not every bit of your cheese will be processed.
But those left over hunks sure are delicious!!
Recipes
Since 1931, Vella Cheese has been a companion to the finest foods in the world. As an ingredient, sprinkled on top, or served alongside, the full fresh flavor and smooth creamy texture of Vella Cheese is guaranteed to satisfy.
The success of Vella Cheese lies in the personal attention each day's production is given. Quality starts in the pasture. Every cow is not the same. Every day is not sunny; every blade of grass is not green and lush. But, if you insist on the finest breeding of herds, the finest feeds, the greatest care in milking and transporting the top grade milk, so that you have the best possible natural raw material, you have set the stage for super cheese.
What has built our reputation over the years since my father had his first conversation with the dairymen has been our hour-to-hour personal attention. We're proud when you're pleased with our product.
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