Penne pasta

Ingredients

• 400 g penne pasta (‘de cecco’ brand if possible)
• garnish
• 100 g cashel blue cheese
• 25 g cashel blue reserved for garnish
• 300 ml double cream
• 50 g rocket (chopped roughly)
• 1 leek washed and sliced finely
• 25 g roasted hazelnuts (crushed)
• 25 ml extra virgin olive oil
• drop of sherry vinegar
• fresh pepper
• for poached pears
• 4 williams’s pears (peel and cored)
• 600 ml red wine
• 100 g sugar
• 1 orange “zest and juice”
• 1 clove
• 0.50 cinnamon stick

Method

1. Heat the red wine with the other ingredients. Place the pears into the liquor and bring to the boil. Simmer until the pears are tender.
2. Leave for 24 hours if possible. Cut the pears into large dice.
3. To serve
4. Sweat the leeks in the olive oil with a pinch of salt. Add the cream and bring to the boil. Crumble the Cashel blue whisking until smooth.
5. Cook the penne pasta in seasoned boiling water until al dente. Bind the pasta with the sauce adding a drop of sherry vinegar.
6. Add the rocket and pears. Taste – season with fresh pepper. Divide into four warm bowls. Place the remaining Cashel cheese onto the bowls with the hazelnuts.