Sponsored: Nothing quite says comfort food quite like a golden pie fresh-from-the-oven…

If you’re hosting friends and family this festive season (or even just whipping up a comforting home-cooked meal), nothing says comfort food more than a golden pie, served fresh from the oven. We know of just the recipe to wow your guests, and it’s made using Grana Padano cheese.

In case you’re not familiar, its an Italian hard cheese that tastes great with, well, pretty much anything. In this instance, Grana Padano is telling you how to make a ‘Grana Padano and asparagus pasteria’ (pie). This type of pie is usually a sweet one, with ricotta and candied fruit, originating from Naples, Italy.

But in this case, it is a savoury version, with cooked wheat (or rice), ricotta, Grana Padano and British asparagus. This step-by-step recipe will ensure you are the star of the show, when you present it at the table, piping hot and golden brown.

Grana Padano has been a part of Italy’s proud gastronomic heritage for nearly 1000 years. Benedictine monks found a clever solution to preserve the surplus milk produced, by creating a hard cheese, which could withstand the test of time. Grana Padano is made exclusively from partially skimmed, raw Italian milk from the production area in the Po River Valley (Pianura Padana), within the regions of Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto and some areas of Trento and the province of Piacenza in Emilia Romagna.

Grana Padano possesses unique nutritional features such as quality proteins, vitamins and mineral salts, especially calcium. It is lactose-free due to the characteristics of the production method and the long ageing process

Fun fact: 30g of Grana Padano PDO contains the same nutritional value as approximately half a litre of milk.

Want to enjoy Grana Padano products right here in Dubai? They’re available at Spinneys, Waitrose, Monoprix, Carrefour, Giant and Eataly Dubai Mall.

Share your pie creations and tag Grana Padano on social media.

Find out more about Grana Padano here. 

Find the recipe here. 

Instagram: @granapadanopdo

Facebook: @GranaPadano

Images: Provided