Quattro Formaggi (Four Cheese Pasta)
I’m gonna guess that you thought the next letter on our quest to alphabetic pasta excellence would stump me, that of course being good old quizzical Q. However, what you pasta novices might not have realized is that there does exist a perfect pasta dish starting with Q, that being Quattro Formaggi.
Literally translating to four cheese, Quattro Formaggi is a wonderful dish containing four different types of cheese, think of this like the perfect Italian version of mac and cheese. It’s very easy to make and scratches that cheeseaholic itch of mine wonderfully.
Salt
1 cup heavy cream
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 garlic clove, lightly crushed
1/4 to 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, depends on how peppery you want it
1 pound fusilli or any pasta shape
1/2 cup rind free taleggio cheese, roughly cut into 1-inch pieces
1 loosely packed cup of shredded Gruyere or fontina cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for topping
3/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola dolce
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
In a medium saucepan, heat up the cream, thyme, garlic and pepper to a simmer, do not let it boil. Remove from the heat and let that steep for about 5 minutes.
While the cream mixture steeps, drop the pasta into the boiling water and let that go for about 7-9 minutes, or until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
Once the cream is steeped, remove the garlic and thyme. Over low heat, add the taleggio to the cream mixture, then cook, whisking constantly, until the cheese melts and blends into the cream. Add the gruyere/fontina and continue whisking until the cheese melts and a creamy sauce forms, then whisk in the Parmigiano.
Add the pasta to the sauce along with 1/4 cup of pasta water, then stir to combine. If the sauce is too thick, simply add more pasta water.
Add the gorgonzola, then stir to combine. (Don’t worry if the gorgonzola doesn’t completely melt into the sauce. In fact, I say it’s even better to have little pockets of cheese throughout the sauce). Top with more Parmigiano, then serve.
