NEW YORK, NY: Gorgonzola Pasta (1/6/09)

One of my favorite blogs, Talk More Later, posted a delicious recipe for a Creamy Gorgonzola Pasta. The recipe was originally written in Splendid Table. As a vegetarian, my favorite things in life are cheese, vegetables, and carbs, so this recipe was a delightful little midweek challenge (start to finish shouldn't be longer than an hour). I tweaked it slightly for my tastes and have posted my version below.

Mama Megan's Take on

Creamy Gorgonzola Pasta

(This is what the original is supposed to look like, photo courtesy of Talk More Later)

Ingredients to prepare:

- 3 large shallots finely chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, minced (or two if you're not planning on kissing anyone)
- 1/4 cup tightly packed chopped basil, don't skimp. (This can be a problem if basil is not in season, which is currently the case. You can substitute with some steamed spinach, which is always available, even out of peak season, or even some steamed broccoli rabe. If you don't use basil, throw in a pinch of oregano right before the veggies)

- 1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped and drained

- 1/2 generous cup of crumbled gorgonzola or blue cheese (I used a softer, sweet gorgonzola, not the crumbles, though you're free to use those, too. The crumbles, though, don't tend to be as rich, nutty, or smooth as the wedge of gorgonzola, so I forwent that option and just broke the wedge I got into smaller pieces)

Ingredients to measure:

- 1 generous tablespoon tomato paste

- 3 tablespoons olive oil

- 1 large pinch of hot pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup white wine (you can eyeball this- if your hand gets heavy and you end up with 1/3 cup, I think you might survive. Also, bear in mind you'll be drinking this wine, so choose something drinkable.)
- 1 cup cream (I used milk. Cream tends to disagree with my delicate stomach. Also, the better the cheese, the more the fat, so I wanted to cut back the calories on the milk/cream end)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 - 3/4 pound pasta, shells tend to work best.

Before you begin- pour yourself a glass of wine, and boil a pot of water (it will be used for the pasta, so add a little salt or olive oil to the water).

Step By Step:
1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in large saute pan over med high heat.

2. Add hot pepper flakes, black pepper and shallots and saute for about 3 minutes. The shallots should soften and start to become translucent. Adjust heat to prevent browning. (The pepper flakes will brown- so don't freak out if you see that stuff. It's the shallots you want to avoid browning because it will effect their taste and ability to absorb the other ingredients).

3. Now that the heat is lower, add minced garlic and the basil (or steamed veggies) and saute until you can smell that the garlic and onion have made friends, about a minute.

4. Add the tomato paste and saute for another 30 seconds, or so, until it's hot.

5. Pour in the wine and simmer till it's reduced to nothing. (You can take this opportunity to stir the tomato paste until it's incorporated with the wine, the vinegar in the paste melding with the acidity of the wine will make for a tasty reduction).

6. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer uncovered over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.

7. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. (can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

8. By now the water should be boiling, so add and cook pasta for 8-10 minutes depending on which pasta you choose (Pasta should be al dente, so read the directions on the box).

9. When pasta is done, hold aside one cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta when done, but do not rinse.

10. Bring sauce to a simmer. (You can start this the last minute or two of when the pasta is cooking.)

11. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cream (or milk) and simmer for a minute.

12. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper.

13. Add pasta and remaining 1/2 cup cream to the sauce stirring over medium heat for a couple of minutes.

14. Stir in the pasta water you reserved, and the last tbsp of olive oil

15. Gently stir in the gorgonzola until just combined and cheese is melting.

16. If you haven't refilled yet, your glass of wine is probably empty. So pour yourself another.

Serve pasta hot with a glass of cool wine and enjoy!

Serves 4 as a main course, 6 as a starter.

The pasta is delicious, but very decadent, so keep in mind the size of your portion, because it's addictive, but filling.

To see the original recipe, and other fabulous treats, please visit Talk More Later. It is the most delicious blog on the web- in fact, it's the one on the right side of this page that screams "Food!"