Eric's Gorgonzola Star Pasta
This is Uncle Eric's recipe for a delicious pasta which is perfect served hot, room temperature, or cold. This cook-out-friendly pasta dish is wonderful with grilled sausages, or as a main course to a vegetarian meal. We use star pasta today, but orzo pasta is a great substitute. Originally served as part of: A Labor Day Cookout.
Ingredients
- 1 pound star-shaped pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large red and green bell peppers
- salt
- 8 ounces gorgonzola cheese (crumbled)
- 4 peppercorn blend pepper (crushed in mortar with pestle)
Instructions
We begin by heating a large pot of water for our pasta. Meanwhile, we chop our red and green bell pepper into small pieces. We heat our olive oil in a large saute pan and add the peppers. We cook over medium heat, with a little salt, for a few minutes until they are softened. When the peppers are cooked, we lower the heat and keep warm in the pan.
When the pot of water is boiling, we add a little salt, and the pasta. We stir and cook until the pasta is al dente. We drain in a colander and add to a decorative serving bowl. We mix in the cooked peppers, gorgonzola cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.
Ingredients
- 2 large red and green bell peppers
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt
- 1 lb star pasta (or orzo)
- 8 oz gorgonzola (crumbled)
- four-peppercorn blend (crushed in a mortar)
Instructions
What's a kid job?
A Kid job is a step kids can help with, with a grown-up nearby, not one they do on their own. Every kid is different, so go by what your child can do rather than by age. Roughly:
- Little ones (about 2 to 4) can stir, pour in ingredients a grown-up has measured, tear lettuce, wash vegetables and sprinkle toppings.
- Older kids (about 5 to 8) can also measure and level, crack eggs, whisk, roll and cut out dough, and put things together.
- Bigger kids can read the recipe aloud, keep track of the timer, and take on more of the cooking as they're ready.
Steps with a knife, microplane, skewers, stove, oven, grill or hot oil, or with raw meat, poultry or seafood, are marked Grown-up. Kids can still watch those, from a safe distance.
Grown-up
Put a large pot of water on to boil. Chop the peppers small.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan and cook the peppers over medium with a little salt a few minutes, until soft. Keep warm on low.
Salt the boiling water and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and put in a serving bowl.
Kid job
Mix in the peppers, gorgonzola, salt and crushed pepper. Serve hot, warm or cold.