Pasta with Gorgonzola

This is a little something I dreamed up while visiting my local Italian deli. As I am prone to impulse buying where food is concerned, I picked up some Gorgonzola Dolce (a softer, creamier take on the standard, more aged Gorgonzola cheese), some pancetta, and some pasta. This was combined with some cream and some asparagus (health!) for a fairly quick little dinner. It’s not light fare, but the nights are still chilly here in the mountains, so hearty fare is not unwelcome. 

Btw, although I said I dreamed it up, I shouldn't care to call this an original creation or anything. It draws on ideas and techniques I've seen over the years, but I'm hardly the first person to serve pasta with a Gorgonzola sauce. 

Because the Italians say that the sauce should always wait for the pasta rather than the other way round, we’re beginning with the sauce. Pretty much improvised this one, so no formal recipe—I’ll give you my best guess on the amounts, but I wasn’t measuring.

Actually, I do know this amount—this is ¼ lb of pancetta, diced. I know that because that’s the amount I bought at the deli. Put it into a skillet and cook slowly over medium heat until it crisps and renders some of its fat. This takes maybe 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, I had a few stalks of asparagus in the fridge—6, maybe? I cut them into pieces and cooked them in boiling salted water until they were just tender. You could use broccoli if you had some, or you could thaw a handful of frozen peas. Sautéed mushrooms wouldn’t go amiss, either.

Then I drained them and ran some cold water on them to stop the cooking process.

Back to the skillet. When the pancetta is crisp and lightly browned, remove it with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan (If you think of it, put the pancetta on a paper-towel-lined plate to drain). Now sauté a minced shallot for a few minutes until it’s translucent. Then add a clove or two of minced garlic, and cook for a minute.

As soon as that minute has elapsed (to prevent the garlic from burning) pour a glug of white wine into the pan. “Glug” is a scientific term meaning “roughly a quarter cup but possibly as much as a third of a cup.” Let this bubble away for a few minutes to boil off the alcohol.

Then add a glug of chicken broth. 

Now we throw cholesterol to the wind. Pour in some cream. Yes, a glug will do nicely. If you have a stalk of rosemary or other herb that’s seen better days, lob it in as well. Simmer this for a while until it’s thickened to your liking.

Now crumble in some Gorgonzola. How much? If you guessed a glug, nice try, but no; glug is a measurement of volume. In this case, we need a small chunk, which is properly defined as “probably between two and three ounces but really however much you have.” Turn the heat down to low and stir the gorgonzola into the sauce until it melts. You should have a nice creamy mixture to coat the pasta.

Oh yeah—the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add about ½ lb of pasta and cook until al dente, usually 10 to 12 minutes, depending on the shape and thickness of the pasta. Odds are, you know the drill on this. If you used whole wheat pasta, as I did here (health!) it may take a bit longer. It’s not a bad idea to scoop up a ½ cup of the pasta cooking water in case you need to thin out the sauce later.

Drain the pasta, and add it to the sauce. Toss in the skillet to combine.

Serve it right away with plenty of fresh cracked pepper. You could add grated cheese if you like, but that seemed like gilding the lily to me. Bon appetít, y’all.