Potato gnocchi can be enjoyed with a variety of toppings. They range from the traditional tomato sauce to the more substantial one, namely meat sauce. There is the delicate one made with basil pesto and the rich one involving cheese.
We dwell precisely on the latter to discover the pairing of one of our wines – one of our Barbera wines – with a good dish of gnocchi al castelmagno, a regional recipe of Piedmontese tradition created by Luigi Veronelli.
The Castelmagno PDO
For starters, for those who don’t know, Castelmagno is a PDO cheese from the municipalities of Castelmagno, Pradleves and Monterosso Grana, in the province of Cuneo. It has had its own consortium since 1984.
It is a semi-hard mountain cheese made from raw cow’s milk. It has a delicate aroma when young and more flavorful in the aged version.
If it is produced directly at high altitudes, it is Castelmagno DOP di Alpeggio.
In this case, the paste is crumbly and grainy. It has a more intense aroma with notes of cooked milk, dried fruit and hay.
The recipe for Castelmagno cheese gnocchi with hazelnuts
👩🍳Per the Review of Regional Recipes by Francesco Maggi, here is very briefly the recipe for Castelmagno potato gnocchi with hazelnuts; we therefore recommend the Alpeggio version, which has hazelnut among its characteristic flavors.
While the potato dumplings are cooking in the pot (purchased or homemade), prepare the cheese sauce over very low heat with:
😋castelmagno cheese
😋butter
😋panna
😋pepper and a pinch of salt
The cream will go into the well-drained gnocchi. As for the Piedmont hazelnuts, they are a PGI. To complete this dish, they are to be toasted in a nonstick pan and then chopped with a knife, coarsely.
Let’s get to the wine moment: which one did we choose in pairing? Our soft barbera Morsinga that is perfect with aged cheeses and cheese-based sauces! 🍷🍽️ 🧀
💡Attention, we have another pairing to propose, less conventional, but those who do not dare will miss out on many delicacies: to those who prefer castelmagno as a cheese to enjoy at the end of a meal, our advice is to try it together with our moscato; it will be a very interesting culinary experience.
In any case, enjoy your meal!
