Pasta ai quattro formaggi, or “4 Cheese Pasta,” is a traditional dish that Italians eat once they’re actually within the temper for cheese! It’s a quite simple and quick dish to make, because the sauce may be made in a couple of minutes whereas the pasta boils.
Though penne is the standard alternative of pasta form, it’s possible you’ll need to take into account pairing this sauce with contemporary, home made gnocchi. Doing so will end in a dish from Valle D’Aosta, often called “Gnocchi alla Bava.”
Which Cheeses to Use for Quattro Formaggi Sauce
The purpose of mixing 4 totally different cheeses into one sauce is to create a balanced, easy taste. The most typical decisions for the 4 cheeses are:
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Gorgonzola – This highly effective, moldy cheese supplies a lot of the tacky kick within the sauce. You possibly can select between “tender/candy” or “agency/spicy” gorgonzola, the latter having a stronger style.
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Taleggio – This can be a tender cheese with a consistency just like brie. It’s an incredible cheese for melting right into a sauce, therefore its inclusion.
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Emmental – Also referred to as “Swiss cheese.” That is the mildest of the 4 cheeses, and helps to mix all of the flavors collectively.
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Parmigiano Reggiano – The King of Cheeses, Parmigiano is form of just like the seasoning cheese that helps convey out all the different flavors.
These cheeses may be substituted however attempt to hold the identical stability of a robust moldy cheese, a really tender cheese, a light mixing cheese, and Parmigiano (which you need to actually attempt to follow). As an example, the gorgonzola may be changed with a Rochefort, or the taleggio may be changed with brie.
Watch the Pasta Grammar video:
PASTA AI QUATTRO FORMAGGI RECIPE
For this recipe, you have to:
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Salt
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12 ounces (340 g) penne pasta, or 3-4 servings of contemporary, home made gnocchi
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1 tablespoon (15 g ) unsalted butter
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1.5 ounces (40 g) gorgonzola cheese, minimize into small chunks
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1.75 ounces (50 g) taleggio cheese, minimize into small chunks
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1.75 ounces (50 g) emmental Swiss cheese, grated
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1.5 ounces (40 g) Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated, plus additional for topping
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½ cup (120 ml) complete milk, or to style
Deliver a big pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously. Add the penne pasta and prepare dinner as directed on the field, or till “al dente” to your style. Whereas the pasta boils, you’ll be able to put together the sauce.
Be aware: If you’re cooking dry pasta, comparable to penne, begin boiling the pasta earlier than making the sauce. If you’re cooking contemporary pasta, comparable to gnocchi, make the sauce first and hold it heat over very low warmth whilst you boil the pasta. Gnocchi solely takes a couple of minutes to prepare dinner, and is finished when all the items float to the floor of the water.
In a big pan, soften the butter over medium/low warmth. As soon as the butter is melted, flip the warmth right down to low and add the gorgonzola, taleggio, Swiss cheese, and about half the milk. Stir till the cheeses have fully melted, then stir within the Parmigiano Reggiano.
Step by step stir extra milk into the sauce till you obtain a consistency you want; the sauce may be made thicker by utilizing much less milk or thinner by utilizing extra.
At this level, the sauce is finished. Preserve it heat over very low warmth whereas the pasta cooks, giving it a fast stir from time to time.
When the pasta is al dente, flip the sauce warmth as much as medium/low and use a slotted ladle to switch the pasta into the sauce. Stir all collectively till the pasta is absolutely coated in tacky sauce. Serve and eat instantly, topped with some additional grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
