When I was pregnant, everyone asked me what I missed. Wine? Sushi? Jeans with buttons? (A bit, yes and no way.) Everyone also wanted to know what I was craving. With Easton, it was fruit. So much fruit. With Reeve, my answers to both questions were the same: soft cheeses and smoked salmon. All I wanted, all I couldn’t have.
In bed, at night, I would think about smoked salmon and scallion rolls, a Greek salad topped with feta, toast smeared with goat cheese. But, with both pregnancies it was the same. I delivered and was given the green light. I can’t explain it, but I just couldn’t – I could not bring myself to eat any of those previously off limit foods. True story: it was my lactation consultant who convinced me to have my first glass of wine, three weeks into motherhood.
When Reeve was about 4 weeks old, I made a raw zucchini salad: spiralized squash, halved cherry tomatoes, lemon, olive oil and toasted almonds. I knew it would be good, but I also knew what would make it even better: feta. It was everything. Since then, I have become a cheese madwoman. When I grocery shop, even if I do not have a recipe in mind, I throw cheeses into my shopping cart. Why? Because I can! You would think that 7-months-later, the shine might have worn off. But, I still repeatedly find myself with almost-past-its-prime gorgonzola in the cheese drawer.
This gorgonzola marinara sauce was made as an answer to one of those days. I was craving pasta, something that we love, but don’t eat a lot of, around here. I remembered once seeing a recipe for Tomato Sauce made with gorgonzola, which sounded really perfect for a chilly fall day. But, then I couldn’t find the recipe (I don’t know why because now I can, it’s right here. I will just blame my standby excuses: two kids and a terrible in-house internet connection.) So, I made it up.
For the sauce, I went with my standby: always olive oil, red pepper flakes, an onion, garlic and a can of plum tomatoes. Once it had simmered for about 20 minutes, I pulled one cup of sauce from the pot, added the gorgonzola and a small knob of butter to help round out the intense blue and tomatoes, and blended.
I tasted it and really, just wanted to eat it with a spoon, right there. But it was 4pm. Save for Reeve napping upstairs, I was alone. And, my family kind of has this thing about eating dinner. So, I stirred the smooth gorgonzola mixture, into the chunky marinara sauce, turned off the heat and ignored the kitchen.
That night, as water boiled for the pasta, I reheated the sauce, making sure to keep it from boiling and tossed in big handfuls of peppery baby arugula. When the coiled girelle was very al dente, I used the slotted spoon to transfer them to the hot sauce, along with a splash of cooking water.
Can I be honest? After a minute of simmering to meld it all together, I still debated just eating the whole thing straight from the pan. Pasta is always its best the moment it’s made, right? And, Easton and Larry were home – she needed help taking off her coat, he wanted me to open a piece of mail and Reeve was holding onto my ankles. I fantasized about being by myself, eating an unlimited pan of pasta in silence and loving every minute. But, they share the love of soft cheeses, too, and Easton was now jumping up and down, screaming Sauce with Tomatoes! Pasta! Is it dinnertime yet? And, so, even though they never had to spend 10 months abstaining from something they love, I shared.
It’s OK, because the next time I shopped, I picked up more gorgonzola. And a small wedge of Midnight Moon. And, more feta. I’m out of control. 
I mention this below, in the Make Ahead section, but I think it's worth repeating. Leftover pasta is OK, but freshly cooked pasta is amazing. If I know that a sauce is going to last two dinners, I always cook only enough pasta for the night we're eating it. Even though you'll have to boil pasta again two nights later, you'll be so happy about it when you sit down to eat.
This is in the recipe, but I wanted to explain a bit more. When you're cooking the onions for this recipe (or anything, anytime, for that matter), go by the clues given (in this case softened and translucent), rather than the time. Your heat may be slightly lower or you pan might conduct heat better and it will take more or less time. Tomatoes halt the onion cooking process, so if you add them when your onions are still a bit firm, your onions will still have a bite to them in the end.
This is a delicately flavored gorgonzola marinara - designed for a family. If you like a bit more funk, feel free to add 2-3 additional ounces of cheese when blending.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large white onion, peeled and chopped
- pinch red pepper flakes
- kosher salt
- 5 large cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
- 1 can (28-32 ounces) whole peeled plum tomatoes
- 4 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 ounces baby arugula
- 1 pound pasta (the shape I used is called girelle)
- For serving Pecorino Romano
- In large deep skillet or large saucepot, over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add onion, a pinch or two of red pepper flakes and kosher salt. Cook 7-10 minutes, or until onions have softened and are translucent, stirring occasionally. Please don't rush this - taste an onion. You don't want it to have any crunch left (see above). Add garlic and cook 1 minute more, or until tender and fragrant, stirring constantly.
- Using your hands, break tomatoes up and drop them directly into the pot. Add a small splash of juices from the can; reserve remaining juices in case the mixture becomes dry. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and let gently simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, if you are eating the pasta tonight, bring water to a boil; add salt. Pour in pasta and cook 1-2 minutes shy of the package directions. You want the pasta to still have a bite - it will continue cooking in the sauce. (Below, you're adding the mostly cooked pasta, to the sauce, directly from the cooking water.)
- Remove 1 cup sauce from pot and place into blender, bowl or immersion bowl container. Add gorgonzola and butter. If using the blender, let sit for a couple minutes to cool down. Place lid on blender, press down with dish towel and carefully puree. If using immersion blender, place it into the bottom of the bowl or container and puree until combined and the mixture is creamy and pink.
- Pour pureed mixture back into sauce in the pot and stir to combine. Add arugula and stir for 1-2 minutes, until wilted. You want the leaves to collapse and be tender, but still bright green.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer pasta from the water to the sauce. Add a small ladle of the pasta cooking water to help coat the pasta (start with about ¼ cup if you're unsure). Stir to bring the mixture together. Taste for doneness (the pasta should be al dente and the sauce should coat the pasta evenly). Transfer to bowls; top with grated pecorino romano.
- *Recipe inspired, in spirit, by Bon Appetit.
• The sauce can be made up until two days ahead of time. Wait to add the arugula into the sauce until just before you're going to serve it. When reheating, be careful to not let the sauce come to a boil.
• Alternatively, you can make the red sauce, cool it and freeze it. The day before you want to serve it, thaw it in the fridge, then reheat and continue with the pureeing step.
• If I'm going to eat pasta, I want it to be the best piece of pasta it can be. I always cook only the amount we're going to eat (this is great for portion control, too). If we're eating the rest of it two nights later, I'll cook a new pot of pasta, then.
I can’t wait to make this recipe…thank you for expanding new ways with tomato sauce!
Thanks, Trish! I hope you love it.