Friday, October 29, 2010

Curaçao and Nero di Seppia Artisan Pasta with Mushrooms and Blue Cheese Sauce.


 While at the checkout with my eccentric black and blue Artisan pasta, I got more than one odd look because of my purchase. Who in their right mind would buy curaçao coloured pasta with black stripes?  The answer of course is "me"!  Sometimes, even in the kitchen...... "girls just want to have fun" and this butterfly pasta definitely falls under the wacky fun category. The added bonus is that it fits in perfectly with the Halloween theme. After all, we can't subsist just on sweets alone. 
My inspiration for the accompanying sauce came from the pasta itself, which actually contains curaçao liqueur and black ink from cuttlefish, (nero di sepia).  A creamy blue cheese wine sauce and plain button mushrooms came to mind. A truly decadent sauce, perfect with any pasta, and ready in just under fifteen minutes. This recipe is for one very large portion or two small entrees.

Ingredients:
4 ounces farfalle pasta (125 grams)
1 shallot finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup finely chopped button mushrooms 
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup 35% cream
1/4 cup Rochfort blue cheese (or Gorgonzola)
salt and pepper
Rochfort or Gorgonzola (crumbled) for garnish

In a large pot of hot salt boiling water cook the pasta according to directions... al dente! Drain before adding to the prepared blue cheese white wine sauce and mushrooms.


Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan and add sauté the shallots for  2-3 minutes. Sprinkle a small amount of salt and pepper ,making sure not to season too much as the cheese will be salty. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden, for about 4 minutes. 

Deglaze the pan with the wine and add the chicken broth.

 Simmer for 2-3 minutes to reduce and  then whisk in the cream.

 I suggest pre-heating the cream before adding to the hot sauce.
 Stir in the blue cheese. 

 Toss the drained pasta into the sauce and plate. 


Crumble extra blue cheese on the pasta for garnish.

15 comments:

  1. Anna this is a wonderful recipe, I love it!Kisses...

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  2. The colour of the pasta is really surprising, but a little...scary. Well, it's Halloween. The sauce looks delicious.

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  3. wow I love the colour of these bow tie pasta...simply divine!

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  4. Ciao Chiara,
    "Grazie mille" for your comment.

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  5. Angie,
    Thanks, they sure a wacky colour and great conversation piece.

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  6. Gourmande, Thanks for the visit and taking the time to comment. I have to agree with you, it isn't the most appetizing colour but a fun idea for Halloween, and no pumpkins were hurt in the process.The sauce was delicious with the blue cheese.

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  7. Wow Anna, that is some crazy, insane looking pasta, but in a good way. Truly unique, I thought I've seen it all until now. Love the sound of the mushrooms and blue cheese, making my tastebuds just pop while reading about it.

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  8. Hey Anna, where do you buy your crazy pasta? My mother would like to purchase some for a dinner party this weekend.

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  9. Ava, this one was really over the top but great for the Halloween theme. I adore blue cheese so the sauce was right up my alley. I must admit it turned out rich and delicious. The kind of meal once finished,you wish you were starting all over again.

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  10. Hi Geneviève, I'm so glad you dropped by again. I always look forward to your comments. Anyway, back to the pasta. The artisan pasta can be found at Les Douceurs du Marché(Atwater Market), Capitol(Jean Talon Market) and even the more upscale IGA stores(St Lambert) run by Louise Menard.

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  11. i just bought that pasta today, i found it at the Home Goods Store of all places!

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  12. Hi Anna - thanks for visiting my blog and leaving your warm words :)

    This is a little shocking, but really quite breathtaking! Maybe it's because that very shade of blue is my favourite colour LOL

    Anyway, the sauce sounds divine!!

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  13. I just bought this pasta today and was searching for what to pair it with and ran across your blog! Thanks so much. I'll definitely be following! The recipe sounds delicious!

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  14. Hi Melanin, I'm so glad the post was helpful. Isn't the pasta just wild looking? If you love blue cheese I think you're going to love this cream sauce. I also would like to thank you for joining as a follower. Have a lovely week-end.

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  15. Bought that blue&black pasta a year ago but is still sitting in my kitchen closet - had no idea what recipe would be fine with it. Thanks for sharing your post!

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