Those darned Italians can nearly do no wrong, at least when it comes to food.

I was in the Sorrento area of Italy this past summer, and one of the greatest dishes I ate was local fior di latte (fresh mozzarella made from cow´s milk) baked in a wood-burning pizza oven just long enough to give the cheese some of those tasty smoky flavors. The cheese was usually served with cured ham (such as Parma ham) on top or wrapped around the cheese. This type of cured ham is not smoked but here again, the smoke worked great.

Here is a mini-version of the dish, served on wooden skewers, smoked on the grill, inspired by the wonderful spiedin at Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, Arizona. Chris Bianco uses Fontina cheese and a locally-made cured ham. I have also made this using a mature jarlsberg and gruyère.

It´s January. No Christmas is stirring – not even a morsel of stuffing. We are in hard training, going for the rock-hard abs. Yeah, we´re (soon) ripped. And this innocent small bite won´t get in the way of a firmer butt or an impressive bicep. Enjoy as a snack pretty much any time day or night.

Sorrento Spiedini

Begynn med å legge noen trespidd i vann (minst en halvtime før du skal lage retten). Da kan du ha spydene rett på grillristen.

En annen måte å lage dem, spesielt når du skal ha mange spyd, er å legge dem på et stykke aluminiumsfolie (ikke pakk dem inn), og legg folien med spydene på grillristen. Da trenger du ikke å legge trespiddene i vann.

I like using wood chips (see tips???)

1. Skjær osten i firkantete avlange stykker på lengde og tykkelse som lillefingeren.

2. Pakk inn osten med en skive spekeskinke. Hvis du har lange skiver spekeskinke, kan du bare dele dem i to (på tvers).

3. Tre ostestykkene på trespid.

4. Grill de ferdige spiddene på indirekte varme til osten er gjennomvarmet og har begynt å smelte litt.

5. Spis med én gang!

Sorrento Spiedini

Put the wooden skewers in water for a half hour before use if you wish to cook the spiedini directly on the grill. You can also put the spiedini on a sheet of aluminium folie. This is especially convenient when making a lot of spiedini. If you choose this method you won´t need to soak the skewers.

I like to use a solid dose of wood chips on the grill when making this dish. (See tips???).

1. Cut the cheese in cubes or just break off bits about the size your thumb down to the knuckle.

2. Wrap the cheese in a piece of cured ham.

3. Place the wrapped cheese bits on the skewers. I prefer one bit per skewer.

4. Grill the skewers on indirect heat until the cheese is warm and has started to melt a bit.

5. Eat!