If you’re obsessed with those strings of cheese that accompany your forkfuls of mac & cheese, then you should know that there’s a combination of cheeses in Italy that will fill you with joy. We use them to season pasta, gnocchi, risotto and make unforgettable gourmet pizzas. They’re proof that some ingredients seem to have been created to go together in the same dish.
The 4 cheeses
If you want to cook these recipes to perfection, you first need to choose the ingredients of the original recipe. The cheeses traditionally used are Gorgonzola, Gruyere, Parmigiano Reggiano and Taleggio. You’ll get a result that is both delicate and intense, with some peppery notes that can be accented with some freshly ground pepper at the end.
The sauce
The easiest way to appreciate this condiment is with short pasta like penne, rigatoni or gnocchi. To prepare the sauce for 4 people, grate 1 cup Gruyere, 1 cup Parmigiano and dice a ½ cup of Taleggio and a ½ cup of Gorgonzola. Pour 1 cup of milk into a saucepan and while the pasta or gnocchi is cooking in salted boiling water, heat the milk over a low flame with the cheese and 1 tbsp of butter, stirring until the cheeses dissolve. Once you strain the pasta or gnocchi al dente, pour them into the pan with the sauce and mix well until they are completely covered.
Risotto
To make risotto with 4 cheeses, we recommend making a traditional risotto by toasting the rice in a pan with a spoonful of olive oil, adding and cooking off wine and then cooking it for about 12 minutes, adding a ladle of vegetable broth whenever most of the liquid evaporates. Once the rice is cooked, remove it from the heat, add the grated and diced cheese as in the sauce recipe above and mix well. Complete with some freshly ground pepper and serve.
Pizza
One of the best ways to enjoy this combination of Gorgonzola, Gruyere, Parmigiano Reggiano and Taleggio is the famous pizza with 4 cheeses. This is a rich pizza for those who adore the long strings of cheese on the end of every bite. This delicacy should be enjoyed with white pizza (without tomato sauce). To make it, use our basic recipe for pizza dough, add the grated and cubed cheese and bake. Once it’s ready, add some freshly ground pepper and you’re done.