Nigella's Green Pasta with Blue Cheese

I do love Autumn and the excuse that it gives for lots of lovely new hot and tasty food options to try out!  You can't beat a roaring fire, beautifully comfy lounge wear, a big plate of something that can be eaten with just a fork and a decent glass of wine to wash it down with.  Perfection.

I actually made this dish for my Mum and I when she came over a couple of weeks ago, and I have been meaning to blog about it ever since.

Nigella's Green Pasta with Blue Cheese

Serves: 2 hungry people

• 250g trottole verde (or radiatori or fusilli, I used fusilli)
• Salt
• 125g gorgonzola piccante, crumbled or chopped
• 100g baby spinach leaves
• Freshly ground pepper
• 3 tbsps chopped pistachio nuts

Method

step 1: Heat water in a pan for the pasta, salting it when it comes to the boil, then add the pasta and cook according to instructions, but check three minutes early. It needs to be really al dente because it will carry on cooking as you make the sauce.
step 2: Before draining the pasta, remove a cupful of the liquid, then tip the drained pasta back in the hot pan with 2 tbsps of the liquid, the cheese and the baby spinach. Add a good grinding of coarse black pepper.
step 3: Put the lid on the pan – off the heat, though back on the stove – and leave to stand for two minutes.
step 4: Remove the lid, turn the heat back on low, and stir the pasta, cheese and spinach with as much of the cooking liquid as you need – about 100ml – until the cheese is melted and the spinach wilted.
step 5: Take off the heat, toss with two-thirds of the chopped pistachios and divide between two warmed bowls. Sprinkle each bowl with the remaining nuts. Serve immediately.

I omitted the pistachios, and used plain old fusilli rather than green stuff - but it was still amazing!  Really simple and delicious.