Gorgonzola is one of those very special cheeses. Either you love it or you hate it. It is a blue cheese, that is, produced with the classic process that gives the production of stracchino, which is followed by a phase called precisely marbling. This phase consists in adding spores of Penicillium, which lead to the formation of mold, so to speak the green streaks. It is these molds that make this cheese particular in flavor, but also make it unpleasant to many. There are several varieties of gorgonzola, the most commonly used is the sweet one with a soft, rather creamy texture. We find it in the supermarket also combined with mascarpone. There is also a hard paste version, with a spicier flavor. We can spoil the gorgonzola as it is, but it also lends itself to different recipes. It is in fact an ingredient in many typical recipes of northern Italy, from first to second courses. The particular taste requires us to take care of combinations and dosages. Today I wanted to experiment with a particular risotto: risotto with gorgonzola and red wine. Combining the sweet and pungent taste of gorgonzola with a red wine that softens its tones with its acidic note. In this case, I didn’t want to gamble with combinations and I used a simple red table wine, not too full-bodied or sweet. The result, for lovers of this cheese, is a decisive risotto, with a complex but truly delicious flavor. To enrich everything we can add chopped walnuts at the end of cooking which give crunchiness and flavor.

Preparation

1

We fry the chopped onion in hot oil. If we do not like to find the onion pieces, when the rice is cooked, we can overcome this problem by using finely grated onion. It will melt leaving only the aroma.

2

We toast the rice. Let’s add the rice, mixing so as to moisten each grain with the oil.

3

Let’s deglaze with part of the red wine. In this phase the flame of the stove is high.

4

When the wine has evaporated, add the broth. I prefer to add enough broth to cover all the rice, and let it absorb without mixing it too much so as not to flake the grains. I go a lot to the eye to understand if I have to add more. The amount of broth depends on the type of rice. In this case we know that Arborio increases a lot during cooking, in fact the broth must be 4 times the volume of the rice.

5

Add the remaining red wine and continue cooking, stirring occasionally and making sure that the rice does not stick.

6

Once the rice is cooked, remove from the heat and move on to creaming. Whipping is one of the important stages in the preparation of risotto. It is that final phase, which together with the broth and the type of rice and consequently the starches released, leads to a creamy consistency. For creaming, butter, preferably cold, and a cheese are always added. Then add a knob of butter and the gorgonzola, and mix until completely dissolved.

7

We are ready to serve, we can garnish with walnuts and chives.

Curiosity:

For this recipe I have chosen to use Arborio rice, it is a type of superfine rice of Italian origin. The grain is large, capable of absorbing condiments very well, and is in fact used for the preparation of risottos. Since it tends to overcook easily, attention must be paid to cooking, and remove it slightly al dente.