Gorgonzola is one of the most famous cheeses in the world. This cheese is mainly produced in the Italian regions of Piedmont and Lombardy including a town in the Lombardy region called Gorgonzola. Unskimmed cow milk is used to make Gorgonzola cheese. This cheese can also be made with unskimmed goat’s milk or sheep’s milk, but those are usually less common.
It is also called the blue-veined cheese because Gorgonzola cheese is a category of blue cheese that has spots or stripes of Penicillium mold. In this article, we focus on gorgonzola cheese’s nutritional value, types, benefits, it’s processing, safety, and storage. It is used as a topping on bread and can be used in salad pasta dips etc.
Nutritional Content
Carbs
- It does contain any carbs.
Vitamins and Minerals
Fats
- 1 ounce serving of Gorgonzola cheese has 8.1 grams of total fat.
Calories
- Gorgonzola cheese contains100 calories per 1 ounce.
Types of Gorgonzola Cheese
Gorgonzola is a blue cheese, but not all blue cheeses are Gorgonzola.
There are only two varieties of Gorgonzola:
- Gorgonzola dolce
- Gorgonzola piccante.
Gorgonzola dolce:- It is also called sweet Gorgonzola because it is less aged in two varieties and its shorter aging process produces a sweetener cheese.
Gorgonzola piccante:- The piccante is also called Gorgonzola Naturale, or Mountain Gorgonzola and it is more aged of two Gorgonzola Cheese.
How to Process Gorgonzola cheese
- Take pasteurized or unskimmed cow’s milk. Add yeast which helps in the curdling process and coagulation.
- Heat the unskimmed milk at 86-90°F for triggering a marbling effect on yeast.
- Transfer it into a container and set aside for some time The milk curdles to a firm paste After that, cut the curds into cubes.
- After that, place the curds into molds to add some sea salt to them.
- Make some holes in it so that the effect of blue veins that the marbling will appear throughout the final product.
- Set aside them for around 3 to 5 weeks at room temperature to create marbling.
- After 3 to 5 weeks your Italian cheese and gorgonzola is ready.
Also read: Monterey Jack Cheese: How to Make, its Benefits, and Side Effects
Benefits of Gorgonzola cheese
It has many health benefits as it is heart healthy, anti-inflammatory and contains numerous minerals, and is low in calories. Listed below are a few health benefits of consuming gorgonzola cheese.
- The addition of gorgonzola cheese in your diet may help in lowering the risk of cardiovascular diseases. It also helps in lowering cholesterol levels and prevents artery inflammation and blood clotting.
- It has anti-cellulite properties that help in prevents cell damage or deprivation.
- It has anti-inflammatory property which helps in reducing the inflammation of the joints and relieving arthritis pain. The addition of this cheese to your diet plan lowers the risk of arthritis and also helps in
- It also supplies a dose of calcium to the body that keeps the bones strong and healthy and helps to reduce the diseases like osteoporosis.
- It also contains phosphorus which is essential for bone health and also protects it from diseases like crickets.
- Regular intake of gorgonzola cheese helps to make wider the blood vessels and prevents the occurrence of clots that could lead to strokes.
- It controls the level of cholesterol and prevents its level and thus protecting the body against strokes.
- Milk Protein in moldy cheese has the ability to build strong muscles as well as strong cells.
- Consumption of gorgonzola cheese boosts the immune system.
- It provides a number of vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin D, potassium, sodium, and zinc. In other words, it plays an important role in preventing diseases by providing a strong immune system.
- It contains low fat and low-calorie contents which helps in weight management. So it helps to keep your body fit and loses extra mass in the body.
- It increases cognitive functions through memory enhancement.
- It also increases eyes health which also may avoid you from some conditions like cataracts and night blindness.
Recipes for Gorgonzola cheese
Gorgonzola Pear Salads
Ingredients
- 4 washed and dried green salads,
- 2 pears slices
- 1/2 cup of raisins
- 2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
- 1 cup walnut halves, roasted
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup light olive oil
How to make
- Put salads on a plate and place pear slices on it.
- Pour the gorgonzola cheese over it.
- Add raisins and walnuts into the salads.
- Combine the lemon juice, rice vinegar, and olive oil in a bowl.
- Sprinkle salt and black pepper over the salads.
- Pear Salads is Ready to serve.
Gorgonzola Pasta
Ingredient
- Pasta
- 50gm Butter
- Pepper and salt
- Dried Garlic
- 200 ml heavy cream
- 100grm gorgonzola cheese
- Parmesan
How to make
- Take a saucepan add a little salt to it, and boil the Pasta.
- Take another pan and put butter in it. After heating, add pepper or dried chopped garlic in it.
- Low the heat and add heavy cream.
- Stir for some time.
- Add gorgonzola in it. Stir it.
- After that, add parmesan to it.
- Add boiled pasta and mix it well.
- Add Little salt because we have already put the salt while boiling pasta.
- Enjoy the servings and sprinkle some pepper to garnish.
Gorgonzola cream Sauce
Ingredients
- Chopped onions
- Chopped garlic
- Olive oil 1 tablespoon.
- Heavy Cream
- Gorgonzola cheese
- Finely chopped Chives (it’s like a green beans )
- Italian Wine
How to make
- Take a saucepan. Add olive oil, and let it heat on medium flame.
- Add chopped onion. Fry it till it turns brown in color.
- Add garlic Stir for 1 minute on medium flame.
- Add Italian wine to it.
- Low the flame and add cream to a pan. Stir the cream.
- Add gorgonzola in it. Stir it to melt.
- After that finely chopped add chives in it.
- You can add salt or you can skip it because this cream can also be used in more recipes.
Best Ways to use Gorgonzola in Servings
- Gorgonzola cheese can be used as a dessert, and it is considered to eat at the end of the meal because it is featured on cheese platters serving.
- You can eat it with pears, figs, and nuts to the salad.
- Gorgonzola is a moisture cheese, it melts quickly. We can use it in sauce, pasta, or pasta topping.
- it is also served with bread for dipping, because of its monstrous quality.
- It can be sprinkled and grated on baked dishes on a stove or on cooked cauliflower, sprouts, broccoli, and many other vegetables.
- We should keep it at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving it for use in sauce or pasta.
Safety and Storage of Gorgonzola
- If you notice white, pink spots growing on the external part of the gorgonzola it may indicate it is destroying.
- If some sour smell comes in gorgonzola, then you should avoid using it.
Packing gorgonzola cheese properly is the only way to avoid these unfavorable side impacts and enjoy this delicious cheese.
Gorgonzola cheese last three to four months. To store it, wrap it in wax paper or foil and put it away in the refrigerator.
Conclusion
Gorgonzola is basically a cheese that is good for you. This, however, depends on the production process, which demands attention to detail and only the use of pasteurized or unskimmed fresh milk. These requirements must be followed in order to retain the health advantages. Additionally, it can stop the growth of lactic acid bacteria and mold.
Vitamins B2, B6, and B12, which are crucial for the nervous and immune systems, in particular, are plentiful in gorgonzola. Because of these factors, Gorgonzola cheese is the third most important Italian cow milk DOP cheese and is highly known worldwide.
Also Read: What is Custard
