STRACHITUNT: FOOD PAIRING AND RECIPES

PDO Strachitunt is an incredible cheese from Bergamo, from the Taleggio Valley. It is one of my favourite Italian blue cheeses: it is made from raw cow’s milk and has a soft and raw paste.  Although its name may sound similar to more famous cheeses such as Stracchino or Taleggio, the Strachitunt deserves its own place of honour.

It has a truly unique flavour which is intense, but not as strong as the flavour of Gorgonzola, and sweet at the same time; that’s why it makes such a delicious pairing with many types of vegetable. As a matter of fact, Strachitunt goes really well with Savoy cabbage, cauliflowers, broccoli, chard and potatoes.

Since it is a soft cheese, as I have already mentioned, Strachitunt can be served on a delicious Italian cheese platter and can be paired with fig compote, nuts, Zibibbo-grape jelly or honey.

It is a great table cheese and it is often eaten in Lombardy, where people spread it on a slice of bread to end the meal on a delicious note. It can also be used in many recipes, since it melts extremely well, which makes it perfect for risotto or fondue.

Given that this cheese is deeply tied with the region Lombardy and its traditions, why not try it with polenta?

Lastly, a suggestion for all wine lovers out there: Strachitunt pairs really well with Pinot bianco or Barbera d’Asti DOCG. You should also absolutely try it with dessert wines or Muscat wines.

Let’s see some recipes where Strachitunt is paired with risotto or gnocchi.

POTATO GNOCCHI AND STRACHITUNT

In all honesty, this recipe was a bit improvised, but it turned out really well. If you do not like making gnocchi yourself, you can buy some artisan-made gnocchi with a high potato content. 

I love making gnocchi and this is my recipe: boil 1.5kg potatoes in the microwave with the skin on, then peel them and crush them with a masher. Then add 150g flour and 150g corn starch, as well as one egg and salt. The secret to perfect gnocchi is cooking the potatoes in the microwave, so that they do not absorb the water. 

I dressed the gnocchi with some melted Strachitunt; it is extremely easy, I just put one slice of Strachitunt (roughly 350g for the aforementioned amount of potatoes) to melt over very low heat together with a knob of butter. They tasted amazing!

You can also dress polenta with Strachitunt and roasted sausage meatballs.

RISOTTO WITH STRACHITUNT AND PEARS

As we previously mentioned, Strachitunt cheese pairs really well with fruit, in particular with pears, which are often eaten with Gorgonzola cheese.

The ingredients for four servings are:

360g risotto rice

175g PDO Strachitunt

Vegetable stock (around two litres)

2 small, sweet and juicy pears

White wine to taste (roughly half a glass)

Half an onion

A knob of butter

Extra virgin olive oil and salt

Finely chop the onion and fry with extra virgin olive oil over a low heat. Add the rice, toast it and let it simmer with wine, until the alcohol evaporates. Then start adding the stock. In the meantime, peel and dice the pears and add them to the rice once it’s half done. Add the stock, one ladleful at the time, until the rice is ready; take it off the heat and stir with a knob of butter and diced Strachitunt cheese.

RISOTTO WITH STRACHITUNT AND THYME

We ‘borrowed’ this recipe from our friends of the Sant’Antonio Cooperative from the Taleggio Valley.

This recipe serves four; you need:

360 g risotto rice, we only use Acquerello rice

175 g PDO Strachitunt

50 g fresh thyme

White wine to taste (roughly half a glass)

Vegetable stock (around two litres)

Extra virgin olive oil and salt

A knob of butter

To prepare this Strachitunt and thyme risotto, you simply need to follow the classic risotto recipe: toast the rice in a saucepan with olive oil, simmer with wine and when alcohol has evaporated, add ladlefuls of stock to cook the rice. Shortly before cooking is done, add salt and minced thyme leaves which have been emulsified with olive oil. Afterwards, remove the pan from the heat and stir with a knob of butter and diced PDO Strachitunt cheese. Do not overcook, or the cheese will turn bitter. Let it sit and serve.

Now let's go to the kitchen and try one of these recipes out. You know where to find Strachitunt!