Gorgonzola Sauce
Do you like simple recipes? Are you a fan of rich, cheesy cream sauces? Have you ever wanted to fill a jacuzzi to the brim with said sauce and stew in all its silky smooth magnificence like a chubby little gnocchi? If you answered yes to at least two of the three questions above, then prepare to have your socks knocked off because this Gorgonzola sauce is luscious, tasty, and incredibly easy to make.
I’m slowly getting better at these stylized food shots. SLOWLY
Gorgonzola Dolce DOC is an Italian blue-green veined cheese that’s buttery, milky, salty, and sweet in flavor. It’s mild as far as blue cheeses go, and the texture is soft and creamy.
For this recipe, it’s important to double-check that you bought Dolce and not Naturale or Piccante. The latter is crumbly, firm, and sharp with a more robust flavor. This type of Gorgonzola is best for a cheese plate or thrown over a salad, whereas Dolce works better as a cream sauce because of how velvety it is and how well it melts.
::In Lil’ Sweet voice:: It’s the sweet one
Honestly, I was tempted to cook a steak, pour this sauce over it, and eat it with some potatoes or a walnut apple salad, but that would have required me to brush the snow off my grill, and I wasn’t having any of that mess. Instead, I decided to pair the sauce with some light and pillowy gnocchi— delicious shell-shaped dumplings made from potatoes, flour, and eggs, with a name that translates to “lumps” in Italian.
She's lump, she's lump, she’s in my head
This Gorgonzola sauce is decadent and practically effortless to make. I think it took me around 15-20 minutes to prepare and cook. It’s so tangy and flavorful— definitely a “love at first bite” meal. I didn’t use pancetta in my recipe, but if you have some laying around, make sure you drain the oil from the pan before you drop it into the pot at the beginning of step four; otherwise, you’ll make the sauce all screwy.
Now, onto the booze! This dish pairs well with an aromatic white wine (Orvieto Classico, Sauternes, or Riesling, dry or sweet) as well as a dessert wine (port). I’m only an armchair sommelier, but Wine Folly hasn’t steered me wrong yet, so I’m always comfortable going with their recommendations.
I tried to have some chill and do small plates. It was VERY difficult not to eat the entire pound
Ingredients
1lb of gnocchi
1/2 lbs of Gorgonzola Dolce
3/4 cup of half & half
3 tablespoons of Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tablespoon of butter
A handful of chopped parsley
(optional): Pancetta, fried and oil drained
(optional): A pinch of nutmeg
Cooking Instructions
Heat the half & half in a pot on high-medium heat until boiling
Chop Gorgonzola into smaller pieces and drop into the pot, reducing the heat to medium
Once the Gorgonzola is completely melted, reduce the heat to medium-low, add in the butter, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, whisking for 2 minutes
Add in the parsley and cook for another two minutes on low heat. Turn off the heat, and cover the pot.
In a separate pot, boil water and drop in the gnocchi, reducing the heat to medium-high.
Cook the gnocchi for about 8 minutes, or until they float to the top of the water
Drain the gnocchi and transfer to a bowl
Pour the Gorgonzola sauce over the gnocchi and stir until completely coated, serving immediately
