Joseph's Pasta

Joseph’s Pasta uses fine quality cheeses in our pastas and sauces. Read on for more information on each of the cheeses our products feature.

Gorgonzola is a blue-veined cow’s milk cheese from northern Italy. The dolce (young) variety is creamy and the piccante (aged) is crumbly and sharp. Gorgonzola is perfect for mixing into vinaigrettes, sprinkling over pears and walnut salads, and mixing into risotto rice.

Mascarpone is typically used in desserts: essential to making tiramisu and great for cheesecake because of its buttery flavor and light, creamy texture. Although it’s the Italian version of cream cheese, the two should not be interchanged.

Pecorino Romano is a hard, sharp sheep’s milk cheese good for grating into southern Italian pasta dishes, especially black pepper-sprinkled spaghetti carbonara. It’s sometimes combined with grated Parmesan.

Ricotta should be purchased as fresh as possible so it is creamy and thick and NOT runny. It’s a staple in lasagne and other baked pasta dishes, as well as filled pasta such as ravioli. Ricotta is also used in desserts. Ricotta impastata is whipped ricotta and has an extra creamy smooth texture.

Asiago is a cheese from northeastern Italy and can be either semi-soft or hard and aged. The aged cheese is similar to Parmesan and used for grating while the young version makes an excellent table cheese and is sometimes used in pasta fillings.

Fontina is originally from Val D’Aosta in the Italian Alps and is made from the milk of cows that pasture at high altitudes. Domestic versions are available that are less sharp in flavor but nevertheless worthy of note. Fontina makes an excellent addition to pasta fillings.

Parmigiano Reggiano is Italy’s best known cheese. Its nutty flavor is unmistakable and its crumbly texture makes it a natural for grating onto pasta and risotto dishes as well as incorporating into filled pastas. Parmigiano is also excellent all by itself or with fresh fruit such as apples and pears, and, of course, accompanied by a glass of wine. Many domestic versions, known as Aged Parmesan, are available.

Parmigiano belongs to the grana family of cheeses, which includes Grana Padano. Grana cheeses are hard cheeses that take their name from their grainy texture and tendency to crumble when cut.

Grana Padano takes its name from the word “grana” which means “grain” and refers to its texture. This northern Italian cheese is similar to Parmigiano and is used in the same way, although it is less sharp tasting and crumbly. It is a hard, finely granular cows’milk cheese. It has a light straw-like color and flakes very easily. It has a fragrant aroma, delicate flavor and is never piquant.