Ingredients
- 11 oz paccheri pasta
- 7 oz gorgonzola cheese
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 7 oz fresh anchovies
- 2 prickly pears
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup dry white wine
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
Start with the gorgonzola sauce: cut the cheese into small pieces and set aside. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Just before it boils, add the gorgonzola, lower the heat, and stir until the cheese melts completely.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.
While waiting for the water, prepare the sauce. Clean the anchovies by removing the heads, tails, backbones, and innards, then rinse well. For the prickly pears: hold them steady with a fork, make cuts along their length, then carefully peel them with a knife. Pass the prickly pear flesh through a food mill to remove the seeds.
Heat the butter and oil in a large pan, add the minced garlic and let it soften slightly. Add the anchovies and let them brown, then splash in the white wine. Cook for a few minutes before adding the strained prickly pear pulp. Season with a little salt and pepper, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Cook the paccheri until just al dente, then transfer them to the pan with the sauce. Toss everything together and cook for another 3 minutes (keep some pasta water handy to add if the sauce gets too dry).
To serve, spoon some gorgonzola cream onto each plate and top with the dressed paccheri.
