This recipe is inspired by a pasta dish from a now-defunct Italian restaurant in my hometown. It’s VERY flavorful and rich and very filling. The pencil-thin asparagus spears are frozen, organic ones from Costco. This is a great cold weather comfort food; macaroni and cheese for grownups. It’s still quite warm here right now – maybe I was hoping that the cold weather food would bring on some actual cold weather! The kids loved this dish and the girl child even had seconds, which is rare for her, especially for a dish with meat in it. She is on the verge, I believe, of declaring herself a vegetarian.
Warning: Your kids will love this, but if they haven’t been blue cheese fans before, do NOT get all excited about the fact that they like it and take THAT moment to educate them about the mold that is necessary to make the cheese taste so good, etc. I got so excited about the possibility of making this for my family that I completely grossed the kids out (“Ewwww……mold?”)!
Whole Wheat Fusilli with Grilled Chicken & Asparagus in Gorgonzola/Parmesan Cream Sauce
1 pound whole wheat fusilli (or cavatappi, etc.)
2 1/4 cups half and half
1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (about 1 cup)
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
3/4 pound thinly sliced grilled (about 2 large or 3 small breasts) chicken
1 pound very thin, frozen asparagus spears
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1/4 cup white wine (I used Rex Goliath Pinot Grigio, because it’s what I had on hand)
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup butter (half a stick)
2 Tablespoons flour, optional, for thickening
Put a large pasta pot of water on to boil. Melt butter in a separate, large saucepan. Saute the onion and shallots in butter until onions are soft. Add wine and chicken stock. Simmer to reduce until liquid is almost gone. Add cream, rosemary, salt and pepper. Bring cream to a simmer; simmer 10 – 15 minutes over low-medium heat. While cream simmers, cook asparagus and pasta, according to package directions. When cool enough to handle, cut each asparagus spear into bite-sized pieces. Slowly, whisk in cheeses until sauce is slightly thickened. If sauce is not thick enough, add a little hot liquid to flour, stirring to blend. Immediately put back into sauce, stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Add chicken and asparagus. Drain pasta. Ladle sauce over pasta and serve immediately. Makes 4 – 6 servings.