For this recipe, I wanted to replicate a truly spectacular appetizer that I tried some time ago in a Sicilian trattoria and it left a mark on me! I’m talking about tuma cheese, baked and then garnished with sweet and sour caramelized onions.

Recently, I also published the standalone recipe for the caramelized onions which you can find at this link that will serve as the final complement. This is easy to make and you’ll just need to follow the simple steps found within the recipe.

For us Sicilians, tuma cheese is a widely used dairy product because, with its mild flavor, it manages to win over the palates of both adults and children. It is one of the most traditional and ancient cheeses of the entire island, and I have known it since I was a child.

In this case, I give you the opportunity to taste a combination of truly superb flavors and textures. You’ll have a melted cheese to enjoy with bread or use as a complement on meats or in the middle of a nice hamburger sandwich!

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Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economical
Rest time: 5 Minutes
Preparation time: 15 Minutes
Cooking methods: Air Frying
Cuisine: Regional Italian
Seasonality: All Seasons

Ingredients

To prepare the tuma with sweet and sour onions in an air fryer

3 tablespoons sweet and sour caramelized onions
8 slices of tuma cheese

Tools

Bowl in terracotta

Steps

To make the tuma with sweet and sour onions in an air fryer

First of all, let’s start with the assumption that for this recipe you will need to prepare the sweet and sour caramelized onions first. I have already published the recipe on this blog which you can find here on this link.
To start, you will need very few steps. First of all, you will need to take a good piece of tuma and cut it into slices about 0.4 inches thick. I made about 8, enough to fill the terracotta bowl.
At this point, place all the slices inside the bowl, covering the entire bottom. You can also make several layers depending on how many slices you have available.
To continue, place the bowl inside the basket of an air fryer and cook at 375°F for about 13 minutes or until a golden crust forms on the surface of the cheese. If using an oven, preheat to 350°F and bake on the top rack, in grill mode, for about 15 minutes.
To complete, once the cheese has melted, remove the bowl with an oven mitt and garnish with the previously prepared caramelized onions. Cover a good part of the surface.
Finally, wait a few minutes before serving at the table along with red meat, or simply enjoy it alone accompanied by some good bread.