Recipe: $25,000 Penne Gorgonzola with Chicken

Creamy, rich pasta with Gorgonzola and Chicken. Completely kid-approved, and worth every calorie.

Ever wonder what a $25,000 recipe looks like?  That’s one right there.  Wonder what it tastes like?  Wonder no more; now you can make it.  I picked up one of those special editions of Taste of Home magazines (you know the ones, the sneaky magazines that look like a regular magazine, but have the oh so special sticker price of ten bucks) a few months back and was smitten as soon as I saw this recipe.  I mean, really, say gorgonzola and I am there.  Gorgonzola, Bleu Cheese, Stilton, Cambozola.  Haven’t met too many cheeses that I don’t like, but the strong blues are right up there at the top.

This recipe comes from George Schroeder from Port Murray, New Jersey.   Although he has been cooking since he was a teenager, this was the first recipe that he has entered into a contest.  Talk about luck! And quite a bit of know-how too, because there is certainly more to winning a contest than just luck. The recipe is good. I made it last night while the kids were outside jumping on the trampoline. Even though I was summoned outside to see handless cartwheels and midair flips, the recipe was a breeze to make. It’s creamy, rich, filling and perfect for either a weeknight dinner or when company is calling. Just three caveats: I would use a little less sage next time. While I like the flavor, if I got a bite with a piece of sage in it, it was a little overpowering. And the serving size. The original recipe serves 8, so I halved it, something I rarely remember to do. I used more pasta than it called for, but I’d be hard-pressed to say that half the recipe would serve four adults for dinner, so if you make it, just keep that in mind.  And lastly, next time I make it, I’d add some peas or asparagus for a little color.  Otherwise, it’s a lot of white.

That being said, it’s totally worth making … delicious and perhaps just as important, kid-approved! Nick loves Penne with Vodka Sauce so much that he is a little wary of any other penne dish, so I held my breath a bit for his first few bites, but didn’t need to. Two helpings and he was a happy kid.

Project 365
April 12, 2010, Photo #76

So I’m making dinner and Madeline walks pasts me and yells “garbage!” I hear her throw something in. The only problem? She wasn’t near the garbage can. And she knows darn well where it is and uses it properly, often. She was near the washing machine, which was open since I was also doing laundry. I peered inside. Her half-eaten banana.

This morning, I’m getting her ready and trying to get her out the door to school and she runs into the kitchen and lifts open the garbage can. I thought she was throwing something away. No. She was getting her Dora backpack out of the garbage can. Apparently she put it there for safekeeping when she was eating her breakfast this morning. Someone is temporarily confused, and clearly I need to pay more attention to what is ending up in the garbage can.

Penne Gorgonzola with Chicken
Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home

 Ingredients

• 1 package penne pasta (16 ounces)
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 cups Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (8 ounces)
• 6 to 8 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Fresh parsley, minced

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in oil on all sides. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add wine, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan.

Add cream and broth; cook until sauce is slightly thickened and chicken is no longer pink. Stir in the Gorgonzola cheese, sage, salt and pepper; cook just until cheese is melted.

Drain pasta; toss with sauce. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and parsley.

Serves 8.