Cheese

If you have trouble finding caciocavallo cheese, you can substitute grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

You can substitute fresh or frozen peas for the fava beans. Drain the ricotta in a sieve set over a bowl for about 10 minutes to remove excess liquid. Try to find the denser buffalo ricotta for this recipe. If you use regular ricotta, the filling won’t be as thick.

This Italian classic typically showcases four cheeses (“quattro formaggi”) with different characteristics. For our rendition, we topped the crust with fontina (semifirm), mozzarella (soft and fresh), Gorgonzola (blue-veined), and Pecorino Romano (hard and aged).

This recipe works equally well with other cheeses: Try a mild fontina or Comté in place of the Gruyère.