tortiglioni alla cenere
'ash' tortiglioni in a cream, blue cheese and black olive sauce
This one’s closely related to some of our simplest recipes including sage and cream, but with enough of a taste difference to warrant its own page. Here the flavours that jump out are olives and blue cheese, rather than sage and cream. It's a really interesting, unexpected sauce that you could also try with a stuffed pasta.
Incidentally, about 30 seconds of intensive Google research tells me this recipe’s name might have a link to the volcanic ‘ash’ from Vesuvius, which is certainly plausible - I just like the look of the final plated pasta.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO
(scroll down for the full method)
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drain and chop the olives
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boil the pasta water
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make a creamy sauce by melting the cheese into the cream
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cook the pasta
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combine the sauce and pasta, adding olives
'ash' tortiglioni in a cream, blue cheese and black olive sauce
INGREDIENTS
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180g dolcelatte
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120ml single cream
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approx. 20 kalamata olives
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black pepper to taste
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pecorino romano to taste
PASTA
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400g dry Tortiglioni (The Yorkshire Pasta Co)
MANTECATURA
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none, simply combine
METHOD
NUTRITION PER SERVING
KCAL: 687
Fat: 32.2
S/Fat: 17.1g
Carb: 70.6g
Sug: 4.3g
Fib: 3.4g
Prot: 26.3g
Salt: 1.87g
Chop a medium jar of black olives (or about 20 or so!) finely and set aside. About 120ml single cream and 180g -ish of dolcelatte (or Gorgonzola or the blue cheese of your choice which has been cut into small cubes) go into your pasta wok or large non-stick pan. Melt the cheese and cream together on a low heat , then set aside on a super low heat - you’ll need to stir every so often! Don’t under any circumstances be tempted to leave the cream out - it helps the cheese to melt into a sauce.
Boil and cook the pasta and just before it reaches al dente drain and add to the pan of sauce. Finish cooking the pasta and at the last moment stir in the chopped olives.
(A note about kalamata olives - they’re certainly very olivey, but the best aren’t pruney or too bitter - they do have a strong, mature flavour which tends to really jostle with the dolcelatte. You’ll probably know for yourself which olives you like, but if you don’t and prefer the idea of a milder olive taste, it’s going to be process of experimentation before you find the perfect variety!)
Serve with loads of freshly ground black pepper and Pecorino Romano.
