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Garganelli with Asparagus and Gorgonzola

17/11/2023

Garganelli with asparagus and gorgonzola is a creamy and flavorful first course that combines the sweetness of asparagus with the savoriness of gorgonzola. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 320 g of garganelli (or another type of short pasta if you prefer)
  • 300 g of fresh asparagus
  • 150 g of mild gorgonzola
  • 1 small shallot
  • 100 ml of cooking cream
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Black pepper to taste (optional)
  • Grated Parmesan to garnish (optional)

Preparation

  1. Start by cleaning the asparagus: remove the woody part of the stem and, if necessary, peel them with a potato peeler. Cut the tips, set them aside, and slice the stems into thin rounds.

  2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the asparagus (stem and tips) and let them cook for about 3-4 minutes. Remove them with a skimmer and set aside the cooking water to cook the pasta.

  3. In a frying pan, gently fry the finely chopped shallot in a drizzle of oil until it becomes translucent.

  4. Add the asparagus stem rounds to the pan and briefly sauté them with the shallot. Season with salt and pepper if you wish.

  5. In the same water used for the asparagus, cook the garganelli following the cooking times on the package.

  6. While the pasta is cooking, add the diced gorgonzola to the pan with the asparagus and let it slowly melt, stirring occasionally.

  7. Add the cooking cream to the melted gorgonzola and stir well to obtain a smooth cream. If the sauce is too thick, you can add a little pasta cooking water to achieve the desired consistency.

  8. Drain the garganelli al dente, transfer them to the pan with the gorgonzola and asparagus cream, and toss everything together for a couple of minutes so that the pasta absorbs the flavors of the sauce.

  9. Serve the garganelli hot, and for those who want, add some grated Parmesan and a twist of pepper.

Curiosity

Garganelli are a type of egg pasta typical of the Emilia-Romagna region, particularly in the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, and Piacenza. They resemble penne but are different due to their ridged exterior surface and because they are handmade. It is said that they were created by chance in 1725 when a cook at the court of the Bentivoglio family in Bologna tried to “close” squares of rolled-out pasta with a chicken feather to compensate for the lack of macaroni at lunch.

Would you like a wine pairing with this dish? A white from Lombardy or Veneto might be an excellent choice.

Garganelli with Asparagus and Gorgonzola