SPINACH WITH BLUE CHEESE AND PASTA

Spinach with Blue Cheese and Pasta

Any soft blue-veined cheese will be right for this. There is little point in using a great cheese, such as Gorgonzola or Irish Cashel Blue, unless you have some to use up. A Dolcelatte or blue Brie is quite adequate, I like to follow this rich and almost instant dish with a plate of salad leaves to mop up the cheesy sauce, corn salad (mâche) if I happen to have some, or just some floppy-leaved lettuce.

ENOUGH FOR 2 AS A MAIN DISH WITH SALAD TO FOLLOW

10 ounces fresh pasta, any curled or ribbon shape

2 double handfuls of spinach leaves, washed and torn up

6 ounces of blue cheese, cut into cubes

l ¼ cups light cream

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta, uncovered, in boiling salted water till al dente. Put the spinach, still wet from washing, in a pan over a medium heat. Cover with a lid and cook till it starts to wilt, a matter of 2 minutes or so. Add the blue cheese and the cream. Cook over a gentle heat until the cheese melts into the cream. Taste it and then season accordingly, remembering that some blue cheeses are a little salty.

When the cheese has melted and the spinach is still bright green, drain the pasta and fold it into the sauce. Eat hot.

From Real Fast Food by Nigel Slater