Penne with Gorganzola and Pistachios

At first, after the green beans a la gorganzola, I though this recipe had supreme potential.
Something like it without the green beans.

However, I made this two nights ago, and well..... I was disappointed.

Part of it was in myself and the other was in the recipe.

I roasted the pistachios too long and that took a lot away, it was almost like burnt pistachios...... and I used fresh gorg from a brand new block of it.... and it was quite sharp, so I definitely believe I used too much!

Other than that, it was pretty good..... I could tell that if done correctly, it had more potential, but it was still lacking..... needed something, some type of herb..... maybe pesto.....

But we shall see.... I haven't completely given up on it yet.... and as I type I am considering a green bean gorganzola with pistachio..... hmmm.....

Last night, I went the Butternut squash pizza route again, since I had two small pizza crusts left...... was outstanding.....

Two different variations.... one with whole milk polly-0 and one with the recommended fresh parm....... both were excellent..... Parm is much lighter and you get more of the butternut squash taste ..... and yet the mozz really brings out the medley of rosemary and butternut squash......


Here is the Recipe for the Penne with Gorganzola and Pistachios..... Thanks Lauren Rabinovitz of "Better Recipes":

Ingredients
8 oz penne pasta
6 oz Gorgonzola or other sharp blue cheese (such as Maytag blue)
1/2 cup shelled pistachio nuts
2 Tbsp olive oil

Method
Cook penne according to instructions; drain. Meanwhile, toast pistachios lightly; chop roasted pistachios. Heat oil in small frying pan. Make sure surface of pan is covered with oil. Break up blue cheese into small pieces and add to pan. Stir constantly so that the cheese does not stick to the bottom of the pan; heat just enough to melt the cheese and mix it with the oil. When cheese is liquified, remove from heat immediately. Pour melted cheese on the penne and toss so that the pasta is coated. Add chopped pistachios to top. Serve immediately.

Notes: This is a vegetarian dish for two. It can be a starter, a side dish accompaniment, or a main course. I had this dish at Vini Da Gigio, a wonderful Venetian trattoria. I never asked the chef about how it was prepared (although I'm sure the restaurant also served fresh homemade penne). This is my attempt to reproduce it.

Number of Servings: 2