About Cheese Gorgonzola

Chef Matteo Carboni of the Academia Barilla Culinary School, is introducing to us as ingredient of the month one of the most famous cheeses of Italy, Gorgonzola Cheese. The cheese takes its name from the small city of Gorgonzola, in the outskirts of Milan, where Gorgonzola Cheese has traditionally been made with raw cow milk brought to the temperature of 22-28 Celsius degrees (72-82 F degrees) before selected molds, specially Roquefort Penicillin, are added to create the curd.

Once the curd is obtained, as Chef Carboni explains in the video, it gets stored for three weeks in special storage rooms, where it undergo a special processing technique.

Gorgonzola gets pierced with steel needles that create a series of tiny tunnels for internal air ventilation.

This process allows the air to flow inside the curd and prime the cultures of Roquefort penicillin, that already became part of the curd.

Chef Carboni shows in the video the piercing line in a chunk of gorgonzola, around which the mold has developed.

Matteo also reminds us that there could be different tastes in gorgonzola, spiced or mild, depending on the aging process, which can take up to 36 months.

At the end of the video Chef Matteo Carboni shares a few Chef tips on how to use gorgonzola in the kitchen.

Gorgonzola cheese can be very versatile, and offer its best as an ingredient for bruschetta, as a base for pasta sauces and risotti, or enjoyed on as part of a cheese platter, accompanied by fruit, compotes, or honey.