San Valentino: that touch of spiciness to fire up the evening, with the strong flavour of Provolone Valpadana PDO

Tempting the tastebuds of your partner is a good rule to keep a relationship alive and well. It is even more so when Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.

On the day when love is celebrated, the project “Born to Be Authentic – Provolone Valpadana, a PDO cheese from Europe” recommends some gourmet proposals for those who want to try their hand at cooking and give their sweetheart a dinner made with their own hands.

If it is true that there is no Valentine’s Day without a hint of spiciness, even the menu calls for ingredients with bold flavours, capable of setting fire to the evening.

Among these, the strong Provolone Valpadana PDO can give dishes an unmistakable liveliness of character thanks to its lengthy ageing of 12 months needed to achieve the high degree of flavour and aroma that characterize the cheese.

For those in search of a refined first course with balanced flavours, an excellent solution is the recipe for Calamarata with swordfish and strong Provolone Valpadana PDO. The first rule is to prepare, with that pinch of dedication and passion, the sauce with diced swordfish, halved yellow tomatoes, sliced olives, and roughly chopped capers. The secret, then, is a generous grating of strong Provolone Valpadana PDO.

Another recipe, equally intriguing in its pairing of flavours, is Risotto with pears, guanciale and strong Provolone Valpadana PDO. Here the careful choice of ingredients is fundamental: carnaroli rice, kaiser pears and the cheese with the seal of quality. It takes about 40 minutes to prepare, but the result will certainly be satisfying. There are two tricks to keep in mind for the perfect success of the risotto: stir in small slivers of strong Provolone Valpadana PDO and finally, once served, finish with cubes of PDO cheese, pear and crispy guanciale.

Those who are not particularly familiar with cooking and are looking for an easier but equally appetising proposal can opt for Pasta alla norma with strong Provolone Valpadana PDO. Here all you need is tomato puree, two purple aubergines, herbs and spices and a grating of PDO cheese to top it off.