Fettuccine with Gorgonzola Sauce

After I made the homemade pasta, I boiled water and added a generous amount of salt--salting your water is your only chance to add flavor to the pasta itself!  Fresh pasta takes approximately half the time that dried pasta does, so it was done in four to five minutes (smaller pieces will float to the top).  I also tossed in some of the smaller "reject" pieces as not to waste them.

Meanwhile, I made this sauce:

Fettuccine with Gorgonzola Sauce, as modified from Williams-Sonoma Pasta cookbook

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 shallots, minced--I used 1/4 of a red onion because the flavors are very similar and it was cheaper!
1 lb of fresh or dried pasta
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 lb Gorgonzola cheese, rind removed and cut into small pieces--I used a little less cheese, simply because it was all that we had in the house and it turned out just fine
3/4 cup heavy cream--I used half and half to cut down on some of the calories
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
6 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

Kitchen Supplies:
Large stock pot
Large skillet
Microplane for zesting
Knife
Cutting Board

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Meanwhile, in a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the shallots and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. 

Generously salt the water ad pasta and cook until al dente (10 to 11 minutes for dry, 3 to 4 minutes for fresh).

Reduce the heat under the frying pan to low and add stock, cheese, cream and lemon zest.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir until all ingredients are smooth and melted, about 4 minutes.

If you are making this with fresh pasta, it can be a bit more tricky to time it all so it's done at the same time.  Here's what I did that seemed to help: I melted and sauted the onions and then set aside until I was ready to boil the pasta.   That way, I had four minutes for the pasta to cook and four minutes for the sauce to come together.

Drain the pasta and add it to the frying pan.  Remove from the heat, add the sage and parsley, and toss briefly until the pasta is well coated with the sauce.  If the sauce seems too thick, add a bit more chicken stock or a splash of hot water.  Serve immediately.

Serves: 4 main course servings or 6 first course servings

While on the topic of pasta, what is your favorite pasta shape?  What about sauce?  My favorite shape is Farfalle (or bowtie) and my favorite sauces are white sauces.  What about you?!