GORGONZOLA RECIPES

GORGONZOLA MAGIC

            Who in his right mind concocted a recipe to cover up expensive tenderloin steak or a delicate piece of fresh fish with Gorgonzola cheese sauce?  The word, “sauce” is French. It translates as a relish to make our food more appetizing. It is said that the French invented it to cover up the meat and vegetables that lingered in open carts for three days during the summer months in their travel from the Provinces during Marie Antoinette’s reign during the 1700s.  History, however, records the Romans using sauces to disguise the taste of doubtful freshness as early as 200 AD. Certainly, meat and produce farmed in a country now dedicated to artisanal fresh foods do not require such embellishment. Or, do they? One becomes easily bored with plain salt and pepper. As a nation of self-sanctioned gourmets, we are not covering up food, we are embellishing it! “Ecco. Portare il gorgonzola!”  But, exactly what is Gorgonzola? Why is this Italian cheese different from Blue Cheese and Stilton or Roquefort that also have blue marbling and a pungent odor and flavor with their sweet, yet slightly spicy flavor?

            Most of the bluish veined cheeses are named after their places of origin. Gorgonzola was once a village near Milan, now a part of the Milanese suburbs. It actually dates back to the ninth century when in the fall, the herds of cows made their way down from the Alps to the valleys of the Po River. They would arrive in the fields near the city of Gorgonzola from the valleys of Bergamo, where they fed on fresh grass. True Gorgonzola must be made exclusively with milk from cows raised in Piedmont and Lombardy. Since 1996, Gorgonzola has benefited from the Denomination of Protected Origin (DOP) certification.

Anyone can make a cheese with holes in it and call it Swiss, and there are delicious Swiss cheeses made in many countries, including America.  Anyone can mix mold with curdling milk and produce a cheese he can call “blue”, but authentic “Bleu” cheese was developed in the Bresse region of France after World War 2 to compete with Italian Gorgonzola. Its texture is creamy like the French Brie and its white edible coating has a slight mushroom aroma.

In order for Roquefort cheese to be authentic, it must be made with ewe’s milk, not cow’s, creating its juicier texture. And, the cost of ideal refrigeration and humidifying conditions to build a facility for its production somewhere else are provided gratis by Mother Nature in Roquefort, France. True Roquefort must come from the town of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, as decreed 1n 1666 by the Parliament of Toulouse, the high court for southwestern France.

This foodie’s favorite is Blue Stilton from Great Britain, often called ‘the King of all cheeses’. Stilton is a protected name cheese and by law can only be made in the three counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire. It has a less aggressive flavor and is not as salty as other blue cheeses and is also considerably more expensive. It takes 136 pints of milk to make one 17 pound Stilton cheese. The experience of finishing a traditional Christmas dinner with this cheese joined by fresh and dried fruits, nuts and Port or Sherry wine is memorable.

To Store Cheese: Purchase smaller pieces of cheese more often. Never wrap cheese in plastic wrap. Cheese is a living food that needs to breathe or it will die of suffocation. Wrap first in wax paper to protect the surface flavor and than in plastic wrap so it will not dry out. Change the wrapping every few days. Use foil for higher moisture blue cheeses. The vegetable drawer is slightly warmer and moister than other parts of the fridge and, therefore, provides a less hostile environment. It also prevents cross-contamination of flavor and aroma with other foods.

Portobello Mushrooms with Spinach and Gorgonzola

Yield: Vegetarian Dinner for Two

Our area is populated with many who have chosen a vegetarian diet lifestyle for health, environmental, religious or philosophical reasons. Others may add chopped bacon or ham or prosciutto to the spinach with the cheese.

2 large Portobello mushrooms

1 teaspoon melted butter to brush mushrooms

10 ounces (1 bag) fresh salad spinach

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons white wine

½ cup fat-free half and half

4 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Bell pepper, onion, tomato, chopped into cubes

1.      Remove the dark gills and stems from the inside of the mushrooms with a small, sharp knife.

2.      Brush the mushrooms with butter. Set on the top rack under the broiler, open side up, and broil until the butter is bubbly and the mushroom begins to ‘weep’. Remove to two plates.

3.      Slit the plastic bag of spinach open and microwave 3 minutes on high. Remove, cool, and squeeze out any moisture. Slice the spinach, but do not chop. Set aside.

4.      Melt the butter over low heat. Stir in the flour. Stir in the wine and half & half, cooking until smooth and slightly thickened.

5.      Stir in 3 ounces of the Gorgonzola, reserving the last ounce for garnish.

6.      Mix the spinach into the Gorgonzola sauce and pile it into the mushroom. Sprinkle remaining cheese over.

7.      Surround with the chopped pepper, onion, tomatoes that have been tossed with salt and pepper.

8.      Microwave each plate 30 seconds to serve hot.

Bacon Wrapped Beef Filet with Gorgonzola

Yield: 2 servings

Yield: 2 servings

These marvelous steaks can be quickly grilled over gas or hot coals instead of searing in a pan. Remove them from the grill to a pan or 300°F oven to finish.

2 slices center cut bacon

2 thick tenderloin filets at room temperature

Pepper to sprinkle

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra virgin Italian olive oil

1 small shallot, minced

¼ teaspoon ground thyme

¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

¼ cup dry Marsala wine (dry sherry can be substituted)

2 tablespoons crumbled Gorgonzola

1.      In a heavy skillet, cook the bacon until some of the fat has been released. Remove the bacon. Wipe the pan with paper toweling, but do not wash.

2.      Pat the filets dry with paper toweling. Sprinkle the filets with pepper and wrap each with a slice of bacon.

3.      Melt the butter and olive oil in the skillet over medium-high. Sear the filets on one side.  Turn. Reduce heat to medium and cook approximately three minutes. Press the tops with the back of a fork. The softer the touch, the rarer the meat. Do not overcook. Remember that this cut of meat continues to cook internally after being removed from the heat. Remove the steaks to a warm platter and sprinkle with salt.

4.      Add the shallot, thyme and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet. Cook over low heat until the shallot softens. Stir in flour. Stir in wine. Stir in Gorgonzola. Bring to a quick boil. Pour over the steaks. Serve immediately.

Salmon with Gorgonzola and Olives

Yield: 2 servings

Note: Any meaty fish can be substituted and grilled over fire rather than baked.

Penne rigate or broad egg noodles

2 tablespoons butter

Salt to taste

2 salmon fillets (wild salmon, if available)

Coarse sea salt and black pepper

1tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon melted butter

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

8 green pimento olives, sliced

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1.      Boil penne in water to cover until edible but firm. Drain off water. Do not rinse. Return to the pot and toss with butter and salt.

2.      Preheat oven to 350°F.

3.      Rinse and pat dry the salmon fillets with paper toweling.

4.      Sprinkle sparingly with salt and pepper.

5.      Brush with lemon juice. Brush with butter. Set into a shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray or lined with parchment. Bake approximately 10 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork. Do not overcook.

6.      Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in wine and bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute. Add cream and bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat to low and continue stirring until mixture begins to thicken.

7.      Stir in gorgonzola. Stir in olives.

8.      Remove fish from the oven to two plates. Spoon some of the sauce over. Toss the penne with remaining sauce and serve topped with a sprinkling of Parmesan.

Tune in Comcast channel 22 & BrightHouse 199 to watch host, Valerie Hart, interview chefs in their kitchens "The Back of the House", or watch it live on your computer at www.lakefronttv.com. Follow her food page on Wednesdays in The Daily Commercial.