Those keeping track of my career as a creator of recipes will remember my apple butter buttermilk ice cream which I created last week. This week I present a somewhat loopy, somewhat inspired pasta dish based on a dish Lauren had when we went to Craftbar. That dish was pecorino fondue with honey and hazelnuts. Since I had pecorino in my fridge, honey and hazelnuts on hand I decided to morph that fondue into a pasta dish. And thusly I present to you my Penne with Pecorino, Honey and Hazelnuts.
The process by which I made this was quite simple. I boiled pasta. I grated a cup of pecorino into a bowl. In a saute pan I melted approximately 3 Tbs of butter and a tiny drop (a few tsps) of honey. To this I added about half a cup of pasta water–it sizzles, beware!–and to that I added the pasta. Tossed it all around and added the cup of pecorino. Tossed it all around, added more pecorino to make it cheesier. And then, once poured into a bowl, I added some chopped toasted hazelnuts. Is it respectable to add chopped toasted nuts to a pasta? I’m not sure. But I liked it. This whole dish was a nice twist on my standard pasta with butter, nutmeg and Parmesan. Give it a chance and credit me with the recipe. Well me and Craftbar. But mostly me.
Is it dessert or what? This one has me stymied. I am often served pecorino and honey here as antipasto and occasionally as a remove before dessert. Never as pasta so far.
IF you can get good pecorino, and IF you like leeks, try my leek and pecorino pasta on my page. It is to me scrumlicious.
The problem in the US is often getting good pecorino, although in NY you can get anything you want if you search hard enough and pay enough!
Like the poster before, this dish sounds more like a dessert than a meal. So how did it taste?
No no no…. I think that this sounds wonderful. And I am beginning to question your “amateur” status. At what point do you graduate????
I think the nuts with the pasta sounds wonderful–a great combination of textures and flavors! I also definitely do not see this as being too sweet. It sounds really yummy–good job, Mr. Amateur Gourmet!
Just got back from Tuscany where I enjoyed pasta with pecorino, pears and pine nuts. Definitely not a sweet but I could eat it for breakfast, dinner & supper….