Gorgonzola sharp but rich in pasta sauce
Gorgonzola cheese can be an acquired taste. The Italian blueveined cheese has a sharp, nutty flavour.
Often seen in appetizer platters served with pear slices, Gorgonzola cheese, also called blue cheese, is sometimes paired with steak or sprinkled on pizza.
I recently had a pasta dish with Gorgonzola while at a restaurant in the Niagara Region and thought I wanted more of that flavour.
Gorgonzola has a distinct bite but with cream, white wine and chicken broth, it becomes rich and creamy.
With this dish, the chicken doesn’t require much seasoning because of the blue cheese pasta. I added sun-dried tomatoes for texture and cilantro for colour to the cheese and cream.
If blue cheese pasta is new for you, use about three-quarters of the 125-gram package so as not to be overwhelmed by the flavour. Blue cheese can be purchased at most well-stocked grocery stores.
Barbecued chicken with Gorgonzola cheese pasta
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 340-gram box, bow tie pasta Juice of half a lemon Salt and pepper to taste Montreal chicken spice 45ml (3 tablespoon) olive oil 1 onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, diced 30 mL (2 tablespoons) sun-dried tomatoes, diced 125 mL (half a cup) white wine 125-gram package, Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (use about ¾ of it) 180 mL (3/4 cup) whipping cream 250ml (1 cup) chicken broth 60 mL (1/4 cup) reserved pasta water 45 mL (3 tablespoon) fresh cilantro, chopped In a dish, place the chicken breasts. Squeeze the lemon juice and add the salt and pepper and Montreal chicken spice and let sit as you prepare the remaining ingredients. In a large pot, boil water to cook the pasta. In a medium pot, heat the olive oil and fry the onions slowly on medium to low heat. Add the garlic and fry about five minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes to the onions and stir. Pour in the wine and turn up the heat so at least half of the liquid is absorbed. In a bowl crumble the blue cheese and add the cream and stir. Pour in the chicken broth. Then put the mixture into the pot with the onions and garlic. Stir. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, saving some of the pasta water. Add the cooked pasta to the cheese/cream mixture. Pour in the reserved pasta water. Stir. Sprinkle the cilantro into the pot at the end. Save some for garnish. Let the pasta sit to absorb flavours as you barbecue the chicken. Place the pasta in a bowl and slices of the barbecued chicken on top. Sprinkle cilantro leaves over the pasta.