I've been trying to cook this recipe recently, but I keep running into a problem with the parmesan cheese. Basically the last step is to mix the cheese into the chicken broth.
When I do this, it just gets all gloppy and I have a hard time stiring it in. I can mitigate it a little by adding the cheese in parts, but eventually it builds up. Additionally, when I go to clean the pot, I find that a bunch of the cheese has ended up stuck to the side of the pot.
Is there a way to cook parmesan cheese so that it melts into the broth, rather than sticking to everything and just making globs?
Best Answer
That recipe relies on starch exuded by the pasta to thicken the broth enough to emulsify the cheese. If your brand of pasta throws off less starch, the broth won't be thick enough to keep the cheese from globbing up.
I suggest adding some corn starch slurry just before the cheese. Remove a quarter cup or so of the broth, allowing it to cool slightly; add some corn starch (say, 2 tbsp as a starting point? I'll leave that to the group) and mix, then pour the slurry back into the main soup and stir for a minute or so over low heat, then add the cheese.
EDIT: Joe's comment made me realize something else -- you're not using pre-grated Parmesan, are you? You shouldn't use that for cooking. (Or anything, really.)