Fontina & Pancetta Fonduta

Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese. I. Love. It. I sneak some into nearly every dish I make, and it always adds that little something special; whether it's the fresh creaminess of soft goat cheese, or the deep nuttiness of aged parmesan, it just makes my heart happy. What can I say? I'm from the Midwest! So you could consider this recipe to be my ode to the classic cheese dip, Italian-style. The version in my Nani's cookbook involves melted processed cheese, which I replace with creamy fontina, add crispy pancetta and pair with olive oil toasted crostini. Yum!

Here's what you need:

2 c. Grated Fontina Cheese

1/4 c. Diced Pancetta

2 tbsp. Butter

1/4 c. Flour

2 c. Whole or 2% Milk at Room Temperature

1 pinch Grated Nutmeg

1 tsp. Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Here's how to make it:

Heat the olive oil in a small saute pan, add the pancetta and cook until crisp and much of the fat has rendered out (I love pork fat as much as the next girl, but this prevents the fonduta from getting too greasy). Transfer the beautiful little pork nuggets to a plate topped with a paper towel. In a large, heavy sauce pan or stock pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter has turned to liquid, sprinkle on the flour and whisk until the flour is throrougly mixed into the butter and looks sandy brown. Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in the milk. Put it back on the heat and bring it to a boil then lower to a simmer. Stir in the nutmeg, pancetta, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Once the sauce gets nice and thick, remove it from the heat and whisk in the pancetta and cheese, until the cheese is completely melted. Season with more salt and pepper to taste and serve with crostini, pretzels, and really anything you'd like!

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