Iceberg lettuce with sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, salt, EVOO.
DO YOU KNOW? What’s called “Italian dressing” or “Italian seasoning” in America, it’s not actually an Italian recipe. Traditionally lettuce or what we call “insalata mista” (lettuce, sliced carrot, tomatoes) is served with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, white or red wine vinegar, salt and sometimes pepper. Balsamic Vinegar is a recent introduction to Italian tables, more common in the North of Italy. I noticed that if you are in north Italy, the ingredients used to dress lettuce or what we call INSALATA are less flavourful. I really don’t know why. My dressing’s ingredients for tomatoes are: EVOO, garlic, salt, parsley and basil mixed with sliced tomatoes in a bowl and let it sit 1 hour in the fridge. My lettuce dressing is salt, EVOO, white wine vinegar, sometimes mixed with plain regular yogurt and some nuts.
. It’s a soft cheese being produced for 1200 years.
. It is a DOP cheese, certified and guaranteed by European Community.
. In the past it was known as Stracchino di Gorgonzola – Stracchino, name of a soft cheese, from Gorgonzola – produced in Gorgonzola, a town on the outskirts of Milan, or also as Stracchino Verde – Green Stracchino – due to the greenish color of the cheese’s marbling.
. It is produced in between Piedmont and Lombardy Regions, in the North West of Italy. The Province – County – of Novara, in Piedmont Region, is the one with the highest number of cheese farms producing Gorgonzola cheese, with about 65% of the total cheese farms.
. It is produced with raw whole cow’s milk, selected molds and lactic ferments.
. Gorgonzola cheese is creamy and soft and there are two types: the Gorgonzola Dolce type has a particular and characteristic flavor, slightly spicy; the Gorgonzola Piccante type has a more decisive and strong flavor whose texture is more marbled, consistent and crumbly.
. As foreseen by the production disciplinary, Gorgonzola Dolce ages from a minimum of 50 days to a maximum of 150 days; Gorgonzola Piccante ages from a minimum of 80 days to a maximum of 270 days.
It is produced only with milk from stables located in the area of origin of the cheese itself.
. It is considered the king of Italian blue cheeses and about 30% of the production is exported, mostly to France and Germany, but also to North America and to some Asian countries.
. To fully enjoy the creaminess of sweet Gorgonzola, it is best to remove it from the refrigerator at least half an hour before eating.
. The guarantee of authenticity is the “g” brand printed on the background of the foil that wraps the cheese.
Cook in Italy with Teresa 