Farfalle with Roasted Shallots, Asparagus, and Creamy Blue Cheese
INGREDIENTS
- Servings: 6 Servings
- 1 cup wine - for the cook
- 1-1 1/2 lbs shallots, peeled, halved or quartered lengthwise (depending on size)
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound Farfalle (Bow Tie) pasta
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 pound creamy mild blue cheese, such as Saga or Gorgonzola, crumbled*
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- A handful of walnuts, roasted; coarsely chopped (Or sub Panko or fresh bread crumbs)
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375. Toss shallots with 2 Tablespoons of the oil. Place in single layer on a baking sheet. Season with Salt and pepper; bake until tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes.
- While shallots are roasting, also roast the walnuts in the oven until lightly browned. (If subbing panko, combine the remaining 2 Tablespoons of oil and 1 cup panko or fresh bread crumbs and cook over medium heat until nicely browned.) Set aside.
- Cook pasta in large pot of boiling, salted water until it’s just a few minutes away from being al dente. Add the asparagus to the same pot and cook until the asparagus is crisp tender and pasta is al dente, about 2-3 minutes more. Drain; reserve 1 cup of the water and return pasta/asparagus to the pot.
- While the pasta and asparagus are cooking, set the crumbled blue cheese and the cream over a pan of simmering water. Add to the drained pasta/asparagus; stir so the cheese is melted and the pasta is well coated. Add some of the reserved pasta water, if necessary, or until sauce is the desired consistency.
- Stir in the shallots and season with salt and pepper. Top with the walnuts (or Panko/bread crumbs). Serve immediately.
- (Walnuts (or bread crumbs) and shallots can be prepared 8 hours ahead of time. Cover separately and keep at room temp. *If you want a milder flavor, cut back on the blue and add in some mascarpone or cream cheese. This dish is great served with a grilled chicken breast, flank or sliced sirloin steak, plated on top.)
RECIPE BACKSTORY
From the Sauce du Jour Kitchen
For the Taste of Spring Cooking Class - 114
Years ago I found a version of this recipe in Bon Appetit. While I loved the combination of the shallots and blue cheese, I found the dish to be too dry. I took the three main ingredients; pasta, shallots and asparagus and made my own version. Adding a little cream and some pasta water took care of that. Sometimes I top it with roasted walnuts, sometimes bread crumbs and sometimes I throw caution to the wind and add both.