Hot pasta, raw tomatoes, creamy blue cheese – this trio makes a delicious pasta dish. It really works best if you choose a fairly creamy blue cheese with a reasonably gentle flavour, such as Cornish Blue, Shropshire Blue or Dorset Blue Vinney, rather than something as strong as Stilton.
Serves 4
400g cherry tomatoes, quartered
4 tablespoons extra virgin rapeseed or olive oil, plus extra to serve
1 garlic clove, slivered
A good pinch of dried chilli flakes
300g pasta shapes (any will do)
200g blue cheese, crumbled
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, oil, garlic and chilli flakes with a good pinch of salt and a few twists of pepper. Leave to macerate for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil, salt it well and add the pasta shapes. Cook according to the time suggested on the packet until al dente.
Drain the pasta well. Add the tomatoes along with their juices and toss well. Lightly stir through the crumbled blue cheese. Serve at once, topped with a final splosh of oil and another twist or two of black pepper.
SWAP If blue cheese really isn’t your thing, this works well with a tangy goat’s cheese, such as a classic chèvre log.