Five of our favourite Grana Padano recipes

Italian food without cheese is unthinkable, and Grana Padano is one of our absolute favourites for its firm texture and depth of flavour.

Italians have been making Grana Padano for nearly a thousand years now – the first records of the cheese go all the way back to 1135, when it was made by monks at Chiaravalle Abbey in the Po Valley – and todays product is PDO-protected, and strictly regulated. It takes 1,000 litres of cow's milk to make just two wheels of Grana Padano, and the wheels must be aged at least nine months before they can be sold. These cheeses are delicately nutty and creamy in flavour – perfect for grating over dishes – but as Grana Padano ages, it gains a more prominent savoury flavour that works well in soups and risottos, as well as on cheeseboards.

Rosana McPhee's Grana Padano aioli sounds complex, but it's really simple to make, and a beautiful way of demonstrating the extra complexity and tang of sixteen-month matured Grana Padano. Rosana peels and steams her white asparagus, and grinds garlic and salt to a paste, before blending with the rest of the ingredients to create the aioli. Add a sprinkle of chives and a lovely piece of crusty bread, and you have a delightful starter.

At the mention of biscotti, our minds normally drift to almonds and pistachios and sweet, crunchy biscuit dough. Valeria Necchio's Grana Padano biscotti are a rather different beast. Valeria makes her biscotti dough with Grana Padano, salted almonds and polenta for extra crunch, before applying the classic double bake, and serving them with aperitivo.

Rosana's second Grana Padano recipe takes a rather meatier approach, and pairs a tangy sauce with a chunky piece of veal schnitzel. The extra mature Grana Padano Riserva that Rosana uses for her sauce has an intense, tangy flavour that perfectly complements the veal, which she coats in breadcrumbs and shallow fries until beautifully golden and crisp.