Discover the hard cheese you need in your life
Versatile, delectable and nutritionally unique, Grana Padano PDO is a premium Italian ingredient loved by everyone from high profile chefs to traditional nonnas
Written by Hayley Shedden
While it’s not often you can say an ingredient is truly an integral part of a country’s cuisine and tradition, it couldn’t be truer of Grana Padano. With a history stretching back nearly 1,000 years and three different vintages that make it extremely handy in the kitchen, this hard cheese is an essential part of the summer for Italians – and Christmas and Easter, and well, any other occasion you care to think of, really.
And it’s easy to see why. Grana Padano is perfect enjoyed as an aperitivo or cocktail time nibble, in sauces and soups, grated on pasta, fish and potato dishes, used in sandwiches, salads and savoury treats, and much more. The possibilities are infinite.
Here’s what makes Grana Padano so special...
A proud heritage
First created by Benedictine monks who sought to preserve their surplus milk, the hard cheese was initially known by the Latin name Caesus Vetus, but in 1954 it was officially called Grana Padano. The ‘Grana’ is a nod to its grainy texture, and the ‘Padano’ identifying the area in which it’s made, the Pianura Padana, or Po River Valley, in Northern Italy.
Guaranteed excellence
As a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product, you can be sure that all Grana Padano cheese is made exclusively from partially skimmed raw milk from the Po River Valley and is produced following only traditional methods. This prestigious certification also ensures ultimate quality, authenticity and traceability.
Age and versatility
Each wheel of Grana Padano must be aged for at least nine months, and after examination by testers from the Grana Padano Protection Consortium, plus an impartial third-party inspection body, the cheese receives a fire-branded mark to certify its quality.
The Grana Padano Riserva vintage goes on to age for 20 months – at which stage it may go through more quality tests before receiving a second fire-brand. Ageing can then continue for more than 24 months for a vintage with a grainier texture and a more evolved taste and flavour that is intense but never overpowering.
Distinctive nutritional values
Grana Padano is nutritionally unique and features proteins, vitamins and minerals such as calcium, making it a natural, healthy and easily digestible food for everyone including children, pregnant women, elderly people and even the lactose intolerant.
• It takes 15 litres of semi-skimmed milk to produce 1kg of Grana Padano.
• Just 30g of Grana Padano contains the same nutritional value of around half a litre of milk.
• 50g of Grana Padano provides 600mg of calcium – that’s 60% of the daily requirement for adults and 50% for an adolescent.
• Grana Padano is naturally lactose free thanks to its very specific production and ageing process.
Can’t wait to try Grana Padano for yourself? Let these two wonderfully easy recipes inspire you...
Lentil ‘meatballs’ in tomato sauce with thyme and Grana Padano Riserva
Serves 4 | Hands-on time 30 min
• 250g lentils, cooked
• 100g Grana Padano Riserva, grated, plus extra to serve
• 150g potatoes, peeled, boiled and cut into chunks
• 1 garlic clove
• 100g breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 5-6 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
• Small bunch flatleaf parsley, chopped
1. Using a food processor, blend the lentils, Grana Padano Riserva, potatoes and garlic clove, plus a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper, until the mixture is smooth but still dense.
2. Pour the breadcrumbs into a small bowl. Using a spoon to help you, take a little bit of the lentil mixture and form it into a small ball, then roll in the breadcrumbs and set aside. Repeat until all the mixture is used.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan until hot, then fry the shallot and the lentil balls for 5 minutes until the shallot starts to soften and the balls start to turn golden. Add the chopped tomatoes, thyme and chilli, then season and cook for a further 10 mins.
4. To serve, divide the ‘meatballs’ and tomato sauce between four bowls. Sprinkle each with the parsley and extra grated Grana Padano Riserva.
Puff pastry pinwheels with Grana Padano Riserva served with a gin fizz
Serves 4 | Hands-on time 20 min | Oven time 15-20 min
• 1 garlic clove
• 50g fresh basil leaves
• 15g pine nuts
• 100g Grana Padano Riserva, grated
• 100ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 sheet ready-to-roll puff pastry
For the gin fizz
• 1 lemon, juiced, plus extra slices to serve
• 45ml gin
• 10ml sugar syrup
• 80ml soda
1. Heat the oven to 180˚C/fan160˚C/gas 4 and line a baking sheet with non-stick baking paper. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic clove. Add the basil and continue to crush until the leaves start to release their liquid, then add the pine nuts. Continue crushing until the mixture is of a creamy consistency. Add the Grana Padano Riserva and olive oil, then mix all the ingredients together well.
2. Roll out the pastry to a 1cm thickness, then spread the basil pesto evenly across the top. Carefully roll the pastry back up so it looks like a Swiss roll, then using a sharp knife, cut it into 2cm slices to create the pinwheels. Place the pinwheels on the baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp and golden.
3. While the pinwheels are cooking, make the gin fizz. Pour the lemon juice into a cocktail shaker with ice, the gin and sugar syrup. Shake well and strain into a tall glass with ice. Add the soda and lemon slices to serve once the pinwheels are cooked.