Also got a request for a "Zuppa Valdostana, which contains fontina cheese, cauliflower, etc. topped with nutmeg?" Haven't found anything exactly like this in any of my general Italian cookbooks. However, the Zuppa di Formaggio made in nearby Piemonte comes fairly close -- no veggies, but lots of cheese, and perfect for keeping winter at bay. Here's Alessandro Molinari Pradelli's recipe, translated from La Cucina Piemontese. To serve six you'll need:

• 2/3 pound Fontina Valdostana, diced
• 2 ounces Gorgonzola Dolce (the milder variety of Gorgonzola)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 egg yolks
• A ladle of meat broth (you could use bullion if need be)
• Day-old bread, sliced & toasted
• Freshly ground pepper
• For a liquid béchamel sauce:
• 1 quart whole milk
• 3/4 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano

Begin by making the liquid béchamel sauce over a double boiler. Heat the milk, and once it is hot whisk in the flour, butter, and grated Parmigiano. Keep hot.

You should now prepare a fondue from the cheeses. Set a pot with the fontina and Gorgonzola over a second double boiler (or suspend it in a pot of simmering water) and heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted and the mixture is of a uniform consistency. Lightly beat the yolks and stir them into the mixture, followed by the butter. Continue stirring until you have a smooth, even cream.

Stir the fondue into the liquid béchamel sauce (which should still be over the double boiler) and dilute it with the broth, continuing to stir until the soup is of uniform consistency.

Serve in individual bowls, with the toasted bread. You could, if you want, give each bowl a grating of nutmeg, but go easy. In terms of a wine, this is quite rich, and though it might not be orthodox I'd be tempted to go with an unoaked Barbera, which will have the body to stand up to the cheese, and the acidity necessary to balance the fats. Because of its richness I might also be tempted to make it into a single-course meal, with a salad.

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.

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