Gorgonzola

Is a veined Italian blue cheese, made from unskimmed cow's milk. It can be buttery or firm, crumbly and quite salty, with a "bite" from its blue veining.

Gorgonzola has been produced for centuries in Gorgonzola, Milan, acquiring its greenish-blue marbling in the 11th century. However, the town's claim of geographical origin is disputed by other localities.

Production

Today, it is mainly produced in the northern Italian regions of Piedmont and Lombardy. Whole cow's milk is used, to which starter bacteria are added, along with spores of the mold Penicillium glaucum. Penicillium roqueforti, used in Roquefort cheese, may also be used.

The whey is then removed during curdling, and the result aged at low temperatures.
During the aging process metal rods are quickly inserted and removed, creating air channels that allow the mold spores to grow into hyphae and cause the cheese's characteristic veining.

Gorgonzola is typically aged for three to four months. The length of the aging process determines the consistency of the cheese, which gets firmer as it ripens.

There are two varieties of Gorgonzola, which differ mainly in their age: Gorgonzola Dolce (also called Sweet Gorgonzola) and Gorgonzola Piccante (also called Gorgonzola Naturale, Gorgonzola Montagna, or Mountain Gorgonzola).

Under Italian law, Gorgonzola enjoys Protected Geographical Status. Termed DOP in Italy, this means that it can only be produced in the provinces of Novara, Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Cuneo, Lecco, Lodi, Milan, Pavia, Varese, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and Vercelli, as well as a number of comuni in the area of Casale Monferrato (province of Alessandria).

Consumption

Gorgonzola may be eaten in many ways. It may be melted into a risotto in the final stage of cooking, or served alongside polenta. Pasta with gorgonzola is a dish appreciated almost everywhere in Italy by gorgonzola lovers; usually gorgonzola goes on short pasta, such as penne, rigatoni, mezze maniche, or sedani, not with spaghetti or linguine.

It is frequently offered as pizza topping and is occasionally added to salads. Combined with other soft cheeses it is an ingredient of pizza ai quattro formaggi (four-cheese pizza).

Recipe : gorgonzola risotto

Ingredients

1 cup arborio rice
4 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup crumbled Dolce Gorgonzola
4 Tbsp cold butter
1 large shallot
Salt and pepper to taste
Sliced Shallots to decorate

Instructions

Bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan, over high heat. Once it's boiling, lower the heat to low to keep it warm.
In a large pan, over high heat, melt the butter and add the shallots.
Cook the shallots until translucent.
Add the rice and stir, making sure the rice is coated with butter.
Add the wine, lower the heat to medium, and cook, stirring constantly, until it is almost completely evaporated.
Add 1 cup (or ladle) of broth and stir until the broth is almost completely absorbed.
Keep adding the broth, 1 cup at a time, and only adding the next cup once the broth is absorbed.
Once the rice is al dente but you still have some liquid, add the cold butter and the Gorgonzola. Stir vigorously (being careful not to break the rice grains) until the butter and cheese melt.
Decorate with the shallots and serve immediately.

Enjoy!