Potato gnocchi with a creamy fonduta made from medium-aged Montasio PDO, fresh chives and black pepper — an Alpine recipe from Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
Comfort food from the Dolomites Gnocchi with Montasio cheese is one of the most popular dishes in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and eastern Veneto. Montasio PDO is an Alpine cheese produced in the mountain pastures of the Dolomites and the Carnic Pre-Alps: mild and buttery when young, more intense and grainy as it matures. Melted into a velvety fonduta and poured over potato gnocchi, it creates a rich, deep dish that evokes the scent of the mountains.
Ingredients (serves 4)
For the gnocchi
1 kg of floury potatoes (Kennebec or Bintje)
200–250 g of plain flour (type 00)
1 whole egg
Salt to taste
Nutmeg to taste
For the Montasio fonduta
300 g Montasio PDO medium-aged (4–6 months), rind removed, cubed
150 ml whole milk
100 ml fresh cream
30 g butter
1 clove of garlic
Black pepper to taste
Fresh chives for garnishing
Method
1. The gnocchi Boil the potatoes in their skins in salted water for 30–35 minutes until soft. Drain them, peel them whilst still hot and mash them with a potato masher on a chopping board. Leave the steam to escape for 5 minutes — this prevents the gnocchi from becoming rubbery. Add the flour, egg, salt and nutmeg. Knead quickly: the less you work the dough, the softer the gnocchi will be. Form rolls 2 cm in diameter and cut into 2–3 cm pieces.
2. Montasio fonduta Place the cubes of Montasio in the milk and leave to rest for 30 minutes. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the crushed garlic. Add the Montasio, milk and cream. Cook over a very low heat, stirring constantly for 10–12 minutes until the cheese has melted completely. The fonduta should be smooth and velvety. Season with pepper and remove the garlic.
3. Cooking and assembly Cook the gnocchi in plenty of salted water. When they rise to the surface, wait 30 seconds and drain them with a slotted spoon. Arrange them in pre-warmed soup bowls. Pour over plenty of hot fonduta. Garnish with chopped chives and a grinding of black pepper.
Variations
With speck: crispy julienne-cut speck on top of the fonduta — the classic Friulian pairing.
With porcini mushrooms: sautéed fresh porcini or rehydrated dried porcini for an autumnal touch.
Mature Montasio: use aged Montasio (over 12 months) for a more intense fonduta.
Pumpkin gnocchi: replace half the potatoes with roasted pumpkin for a sweetness that balances the cheese.
Montasio PDO — three ages, three characters
Fresh (2–4 months): soft texture, sweet and milky flavour, ideal as a table cheese.
Medium-aged (4–10 months): firmer, balanced flavour with notes of butter and hay — perfect for fonduta.
Mature (over 10 months): hard, grainy, intense — excellent grated or flaked.
For this recipe, medium-aged Montasio is the ideal choice: it melts perfectly and has enough character to carry the dish without overpowering the gnocchi.
Discover our selection of Italian artisan cheeses.
