Casarecce Siciliane with Gorgonzola, Walnuts, Arugula and a touch of cream!
A quick and simple, yet luxurious Italian dish! Good for dinner parties and/or busy weeknight meals.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 5 oz about 1 1/3 cups crumbled gorgonzola, divided
- 1 cup baby arugula
- 1 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 lbs casarecce pasta, substitutes: garganelli or penne
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- While the water is boiling, prepare the sauce. On a large skillet, over medium high heat, melt the butter and sauté the chopped onion and garlic until translucent, about 2 minutes.
- Add the milk and, once it starts to boil, lower the heat and let it simmer until it reduces by half, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the heavy cream and, once simmering, add 1 cup of the Gorgonzola.
- Remove from heat, add the baby arugula and stir until the Gorgonzola melts. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reserve.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions and drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
- Toss pasta with the creamy sauce, adding the pasta water if necessary.
- Top with the remaining 1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola and the toasted chopped walnuts.
- Serve immediately!
Notes
I like to serve all my Italian pasta dishes with parmesan and extra black pepper on the side! There's always someone - ahem, me! - who likes some more cheese and pepper! :P