This week’s Regional Italian recipe is a rich, comforting dish from the Alpine Valle d’Aosta (Aosta Valley), a region bordering France and Switzerland known for its dramatic mountain scenery and hearty cuisine. Local produce shines here, especially cheese. For this recipe I use Fontina (or fontal), a PDO cow’s milk cheese from the region. The dish—Gnocchi alla bava—is simple in ingredients but luxurious in flavor: buckwheat gnocchi, melted butter and melting Fontina create a silky, stringy cheese sauce that coats each pillow of pasta.
The name literally translates as “gnocchi with drool” (alla bava), a humorous reference to the deliciously stretchy cheese that pulls and strings as you serve it. With such few components, quality matters: good buckwheat gnocchi and a flavorful Fontina produce the best results. Below you’ll find the ingredients and a straightforward method for assembling and melting the gnocchi with cheese and butter.
Ingredients (for 4–6 people):
150 g – 5.25 oz Fontina cheese (or fontal), thinly sliced
75 g – 2.65 oz butter, melted
500 g – 1 lb buckwheat gnocchi
Begin by making the buckwheat gnocchi following your preferred recipe or tutorial. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the gnocchi until they float, then remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside briefly.
While the gnocchi cook, slice the Fontina thinly and melt the butter. Grease the bottom of a large microwave-safe bowl with a little melted butter. Layer some cooked gnocchi in the bowl, drizzle with melted butter and add a layer of sliced Fontina. Repeat to create alternating layers of gnocchi, butter and cheese until the bowl is filled.
Heat the assembled gnocchi in the microwave in short bursts—about 30 seconds—then stir and check. Return to the microwave as needed until the cheese has melted and become stringy, coating the gnocchi evenly. The dish is ready when the Fontina is fully melted and stretchy.
Serve the gnocchi hot so you can enjoy the full effect of the melted, stringy Fontina. A simple green salad and a glass of crisp white wine or a light red pair nicely with the richness of the dish.
Enjoy while hot and stretchy—this is comfort food at its simplest and most satisfying.
Note: If you prefer not to use a microwave, you can assemble the layers in an ovenproof dish and bake at 180°C (350°F) until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Keep an eye so the gnocchi do not dry out; a light drizzle of butter or a few tablespoons of cream can help retain moisture.