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Penne al gorgonzola
Penne with blue cheese sauce
Penne al gorgonzola: penne in a soft, melting sauce of blue cheese, butter and milk
Penne al gorgonzola is the weeknight dinner of Milan and the Piedmontese towns around Novara, where gorgonzola is made: the soft, sweet dolce kind melted with a little butter and milk into a pale, tangy sauce that coats every tube of pasta. It needs only a green salad alongside. Gorgonzola is traditionally made with animal rennet; for a vegetarian dinner choose a soft blue cheese labelled vegetarian. The most common mistake is letting the sauce boil, which splits the cheese into oil and grainy curds. Chef's tip: drain the penne a minute early and let it finish cooking in the sauce, so it drinks up the flavour instead of sitting under it.
- Total time
- 17 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
- 7 oz penne
- 1 tsp saltfor the pasta water
- ½ oz butter
- 4 oz gorgonzola dolce or vegetarian soft blue cheeserind removed, in small pieces
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ¼ tsp black pepperfreshly ground
- ⅔ oz walnuts (optional)roughly chopped
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Method
0/4 doneStep 2: While it cooks, melt ½ oz butter in a wide frying pan over a low heat. Add 4 oz gorgonzola dolce or vegetarian soft blue cheese and ¼ cup whole milk and stir until the cheese has melted into a smooth, pale sauce, 3–4 minutes. Keep it at a gentle steam; never let it bubble.
4 minStep 3: Lift the penne into the sauce with a slotted spoon, adding a splash of cooking water. Toss over a low heat for 1–2 minutes, until the pasta is tender and the sauce clings in a creamy layer.
2 minStep 4: Season with ¼ tsp black pepper, scatter over ⅔ oz walnuts if using and serve hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 640 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 76 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does penne al gorgonzola take?
- About 17 minutes in total: 3 minutes to prepare and 14 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
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