2 tasty recipes with Strachitunt DOP cheese

Strachitunt PDO: tradition and excellence

Among Italian blue cheeses, it is one of my favorites. It is made with raw cow's milk and has a soft, raw texture. The name might recall better-known cheeses such as stracchino or taleggio, but Strachitunt deserves to be appreciated for its unique characteristics.

It has a strong but not too strong flavor, with a sweet note that makes it perfect to accompany vegetables such as cabbage, cabbage, broccoli, herbs and potatoes. It can be enjoyed pure as a table cheese, with bread and seasonal fruit or with dried fruit. It goes very well with fig compotes, walnuts, grape jelly or honey.

In the kitchen, the most suitable recipes for using Strachitunt are those that involve creaming risottos, fondues for gnocchi or homemade pastas, being a cheese linked to the Lombard tradition, it is perfect accompanied with freshly made polenta.

Paired with wines, we recommend Pinot Bianco or Barbera d'Asti DOCG, but also sweet or muscat wines if served at the end of a meal

Strachitunt PDO in short

Strachitunt DOP is a traditional cheese produced in Val Taleggio, which was once inhabited by breeders and farmers. It is still produced following ancient methods and the manufacturer we have selected still creates it following the ancient process. It is a raw brown cow's milk cheese with a double stracchino paste, processed in the evening and the following morning, creating two different degrees of acidity which, once met, create the perfect condition for the development of noble molds.

The drilling to let air into the wheels is done only by hand and from here the spontaneous marbling typical of Strachitunt PDO develops. The average maturation is three months and the washed rind is edible. Due to its full flavor and unique notes of hay, we like to enjoy it plain.

Gnocchi with DOP strachitunt fondue

This is a very simple recipe to make and super tasty. Although some people don't like making gnocchi at home, you can use homemade potato-based ones to get an excellent result. The fondue recipe is perfect for enhancing the unique taste of Strachitunt DOP cheese and for making the most of its combination with potato gnocchi. But if you want to use a good Taleggio DOP the result will always be perfect.

Potato gnocchi recipe with Strachitunt DOP cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of potatoes
• 200 g of 00 flour
• 2 eggs
• 50 g of Strachitunt DOP or Taleggio DOP cheese
• Butter to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Potato gnocchi with fondue method:

Start by boiling the potatoes with their skin in plenty of salted water for about 20-25 minutes, or until they are soft. A little trick is to cook potatoes in the microwave. By cooking potatoes in the microwave, they do not absorb water and the gnocchi are always perfect.

Once cooked, peel and mash them while they are still hot. In a bowl, mix the mashed potatoes with the flour, eggs and a pinch of salt. Knead the dough until you obtain a smooth and elastic mixture.

Form small portions of dough and shape them into gnocchi. Boil plenty of salted water in a pan and when it boils, add the gnocchi. When they rise to the surface, they are ready.

Here we have two options: create a fondue or season with butter and grated strachitunt.

Option 1: let's make a Strachitunt fondue, a simple preparation in which I put a slice of Strachitunt (about 350 grams for the doses of potatoes indicated above) to melt over a very low heat with a knob of butter. The result was exceptional.

Option 2: drain the gnocchi and season them with melted butter, grated Strachitunt DOP cheese and chopped parsley. Mix well and serve hot.

This fondue process also works perfectly for seasoning a dish of polenta accompanied by well-browned sausage balls.

Risotto creamed with strachitunt cheese

As mentioned just before, Strachitunt PDO pairs perfectly with the fruit we find in the colder seasons and with dried fruit. Pears and walnuts are certainly a favourite, a bit like Gorgonzola DOP… So, how can we not enhance a risotto with winter aromas with a generous dose of Strachitunt?

The ingredients for a perfectly creamed risotto are:

• 360 grams of risotto rice
• 175 grams of Strachitunt DOP
• 2 liters of meat broth
• 2 small sweet and juicy pears
• Half a white onion
• walnut kernels to taste
• White wine to taste
• Butter to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

Quick recipe creamed risotto with cheese

We start with the sautéed onion and extra virgin olive oil, over low heat. Then add the rice, toast it, add the wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate.

At this point, we start adding the border. In the meantime, peel and dice the pears and add them halfway through cooking the rice.

Complete the cooking by continuing to add hot broth and once the rice is ready, stir it off the heat with the knob of butter and the chopped Strachitunt.

Serve the risotto piping hot with pepper, a crumble of chopped walnuts on the surface and a few leaves of fresh thyme or rosemary.