The daube turned out so well that I was inspired to try another recipe from Ballymaloe Cookery Course. This is delightfully decadent veggie food. Possibly not for those doing the New Year health kick, as it’s got both cheese and cream, and it’s not shy about it.

Since I’ve got a bit of a wedge of crozier blue left from Christmas, I used that instead of Gorgonzola. (Despite having oodles of visitors over the holidays, the house is still bursting with food – anyone else find themselves eating chocolate Kimberly for breakfast to ” use them up”?)

It’s a super simple recipe.

While pasta cooks, melt butter, crumbled cheese, cream, nutmeg and black pepper into a sauce. It recommends adding some cooked broccoli in, and as I love broccoli and blue cheese together at the best of times, I popped some on to steam.

I do weigh my pasta, partly to avoid waste, partly to avoid overeating.

I’m not stingy with my portion size, but I can eat spaghetti for days, so it’s for the best. Also, I got a fancy schmancy new scales for Christmas, and any excuse to break it out. I may do a review at some point,  once I’ve had a bit more time to play with it.

Strain pasta, add sauce to pot with broccoli (pasta should always be added to sauce, not sauce to pasta), stir well, add pasta, adjust seasoning, and eat!

Twenty minutes from boiling the kettle to serving. Not bad at all!

As everything I’m making is done to be eaten that night, and faffing about with rearranging strands would leave me eating cold, congealed pasta, I’m keeping things very “real world styling”. My camera is my phone, my lights are my regular kitchen lights – unless it’s the weekend or not winter, as sunset here is about 4.30pm right now.

Next time I’ll crumble some more blue cheese on top, just to give it that extra punch. For once, Parmesan seems out of place as a topper. I also think that using creamier blue cheeses like Cashel, Gorgonzola, blue d’Auvergne is a better plan than sharper blues. I’m not sure I’d use a mature Stilton, unless it was languishing in the back of the fridge.

The broccoli was fab in it, but I’d have it even more al dente just for that little crunchy contrast – it really does cook further as its stirred into the pasta, especially if you’ve kept the florets small.

Delicious!