Gnocchi Gorgonzola and Radicchio; Recipe from Veneto
This gnocchi Gorgonzola and radicchio recipe is perfect winter comfort food that is full of Northern Italian flavours!
One of my favourite traditional Northern Italian winter recipes is potato gnocchi with gorgonzola. The combination of pillowy homemade gnocchi with rich and creamy melted gorgonzola is to-die-for delicious! At least to gorgonzola fans like me!
One of the most popular recipe posts here on the Pasta Project is my gnocchi with gorgonzola 5 ways! Well here’s the sixth way and it’s absolutely scrumptious. Potato gnocchi gorgonzola and radicchio is made with radicchio that has been caramelized with Balsamic vinegar and finished off with a sprinkling of walnuts. And yes it’s as yummy as it sounds!
Radicchio or Italian chicory!
Radicchio is a reddish-purple leafy chicory which has been cultivated in Italy since the 1600s. It’s very popular here in Northern Italy especially in Veneto, where I live, but also in Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia. Italians grow different types of radicchio. The most common is probably ‘radicchio di Treviso’ which looks like Belgian endive. That’s the type I used for this gnocchi Gorgonzola and radicchio recipe.
But, in my local supermarket I can also find ‘radicchio di Chioggia’ which is round and looks a bit like a purple cabbage and ‘Tardivo’ radicchio, which looks a bit like a flower! Italians love radicchio and use it a lot in salads. However, they also cook it in lots of ways including in risotto and with pasta. Radicchio is yummy in pesto too and I have a great recipe for radicchio pesto you can check out.
Gorgonzola.
You can read more about Gorgonzola in my other recipe post for gnocchi with Gorgonzola 5 ways. However, in short Gorgonzola is a very ancient cheese that is believed to date back to around 900AD. It’s one of the most popular cheeses in Italy and one of the country’s greatest exports!
There are two kinds of Gorgonzola on the market; ‘dolce’ (meaning sweet) and ‘piccante’ meaning spicy. Gorgonzola dolce is younger, softer, creamier and, yes, sweeter. And this is the type I usually use and recommend for recipes like this gnocchi Gorgonzola and radicchio. Gorgonzola piccante is a more mature cheese and so it’s harder, more crumbly and has a much sharper and more pungent taste. This type I prefer to add to a cheese board.
Potato Gnocchi.
Gnocchi in one form or another have been eaten in Italy since Roman times. Today, the most popular type, especially here in the North, are those made from potatoes. Italians eat gnocchi in the same way as pasta, often as a first course or ‘primo’. I like to eat potato gnocchi as a one plate meal because they’re pretty filling, especially since they are often paired with cheese based sauces like in this gnocchi Gorgonzola and radicchio recipe.
You can use store bought or homemade gnocchi for this recipe. I usually prefer to make my own . If you want to do the same check out my recipe for homemade gnocchi.
Making this gnocchi Gorgonzola and radicchio.
This delicious potato gnocchi Gorgonzola and radicchio is really simple to make. Okay a little more time consuming if using homemade gnocchi. But apart from making the gnocchi all you need to do is melt the gorgonzola with a little milk until it becomes a creamy sauce. Then cook the radicchio in a little butter until it’s almost done, add some balsamic vinegar and caramelize it.
I served the gnocchi on a bed of the caramelized radicchio but you can also mix everything together before serving! Whichever way you serve this dish I’m sure it’s going to become a winter favourite!
If you make this gnocchi Gorgonzola and radicchio recipe, I’d love to hear how it turns out. Please write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.
Your feedback means a lot to me!
Buon Appetito!
Other Gnocchi recipes on The Pasta Project
- Homemade Potato Gnocchi
- Gnocchi with Gorgonzola 5 ways
- Homemade pumpkin Gnocchi with sage butter
- Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
- Gnocchi alla Romana
- Tuscan Gnudi (spinach and ricotta gnocchi)
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Gnocchi Gorgonzola and Radicchio
Ingredients
- 400 g potato gnocchi 14oz (homemade or store bought)
- 2 Italian chicory radicchio di Treviso
- 200 g Gorgonzola dolce (7oz)
- 1/2 glass milk
- 50 g Parmigiano Reggiano (2oz) grated
- 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 25 g butter (1oz)
- 1 handful walnuts chopped
- salt for gnocchi and to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start boiling the water for the gnocchi. Add salt once it starts to boil.
- Wash and slice the radicchio. Melt a little butter in a frying pan or skillet. Add the sliced radicchio and cook until it has reduced in volume by at least half and darkened in colour. (You can also do this with a little water or oil instead of butter)
- Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar onto the radicchio. Turn up the heat and cook until caramelized. You will need to keep stirring it so it doesn’t burn. If you think it’s too sour add a teaspoon of sugar. The older the Balsamic the sweeter it will be.
- Put the milk in a frying pan or skillet and start to heat it.
- Add a piece of gorgonzola and stir till it melts, (if you want a denser sauce you can add a little butter). Continue to add pieces of Gorgonzola and if the sauce is too thick a bit more milk a little at a time.
- It is important not to overcook the gorgonzola. For a delicate taste it must dissolve at a medium temperature. Turn off the heat and add some grated Parmigiano and pepper if desired.
- Cook the gnocchi in the boiling salted water. As they start to rise to the surface of the water scope them out with a slotted spoon and add them to the gorgonzola sauce. If the sauce is too thick you can also add some gnocchi cooking water to make it more liquidy.
- Mix the sauce and the gnocchi together and serve immediately on a bed of the caramelized radicchio. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and grated Parmigiano if desired.
Notes
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CasaLina Williamstown says
The pictures alone are mouthwatering. This is a must try for anyone looking for a simple and quick, yet tasty dish. Great post!
Jacqui says
Thanks so much for your comment CasaLina! I agree this is a great dish. Pretty simple and yet so tasty!
Susan @ Simply Sundays says
Delicioso! The flavor combinations are amazing! This is a must try. Thanks for sharing!
Julie says
What a wonderful combination of flavors! I want to have this for dinner… gnocchi and gorganzola are my favs!
Patty says
We so love gorgonzola sauce on pasta in my household, I will try it tomorrow with some of my homemade gnocchi, can’t wait!
Beth Neels says
Whoa! This gnocchi dish is so colorful and flavorful! It looks so easy to accomplish, as well! Can’t wait to try it!
Jere Cassidy says
I am always excited to see your pasta dishes. Please come and make them for me because everyone looks so good. I am a gnocchi lover.
Sabrina Borda says
Beautiful recipe. All ingredients for a perfect treat. So different, thank you.
Maddy says
I’ve always wanted to make homemade gnocchi so thank you for giving me the recipe motivation to do so! You’re recipe sounds so creamy and decadent, I can’t wait to try! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Lesli Schwartz says
Such incredible flavors in the gnocchi dish! Love the addition of the radicchio! YUM!
Mindy says
This sounds so good! Can’t wait to try!
Mirlene says
Great looking dish! I haven’t had gnocchi in a very long time, I always want to make it just never had a reason or the time to. Your recipe looks great; sounds like the perfect comfort food.
April says
Not only this seems to be an incredible dish to warm up cold winter days but it looks fabulous! I am getting goosebumps just from looking at it – yum!