I had a client meeting with the lovely people at Haltwhistle Cheese Co yesterday, which means staring into my fridge at dinner time today I was spoiled for choice of delicious local cheese.
I decided Flattsbeck would be the star of a nice spring veggie pasta, and then decided that perhaps you, dear reader, would be interested in a quick and tasty recipe.
Flattsbeck is a creamy, fresh goat’s cheese sprinkled with herbs de provence, and it makes for a rich and tangy pasta sauce. I went with asparagus and cauliflower since it’s what I had on hand, but you’re welcome to swap those out for whatever strikes your fancy.
Ingredients
- 1 cup pasta of choice (I used rotini)
- 1 lemon
- half an onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic (mine were big, but whatever size, the goal here is lots of garlic)
- half a bunch of asparagus, sliced
- about 2 cups cauliflower
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- S&P to taste
Method
Heat some olive oil in pan on medium high. Add the onions and cook until they start to take on a little colour, then add the vegetables. Cook until just tender and getting some colour on the edges.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of well salted water to boil and cooke your pasta of choice according to package directions. Depending on how you like it, consider taking it off the heat a minute or so early since it’s going to continue to cook a little in the sauce.
Drain the pasta but save the water (If you’ve read any amount of Bon Appetit magazine in the last several years I assume you, too, are a pasta water convert).
Squeeze the lemon over the pasta and add in the Flattsbeck. Add back the pasta water a little at a time, stirring vigorously to melt the cheese and emulsify the sauce. Once it’s pretty close to smooth, add in your veggies and stir to coat. Add more pasta water if needed and adjust the seasoning.
Don’t forget the water is salty, so hold back when salting the veggies.
I paired my bowl with a Black Currant Blonde Ale from Riot Brewing. Highly recommend.
If you’re looking for more local food, try here and here.
Enjoy your dinner!
