Blue cheese fettuccine with leek and walnuts

Blue cheese pasta is a slightly fancier student meal, but for its rich taste and fancy feel it does not cost a fortune to make (this recipe gives you food for 3 people, at £2 each. Although if you’re starving it’s perhaps more suitable for just two). A recommendation is to pick up St Agur when it’s on offer, because it lasts for ages in the fridge. This dish is super-easy to make and you simply cannot fail making it if you follow these instructions.

You’ll need:

• 1 pack St. Agur blue cheese. Experimenting with other, cheaper blue cheeses is probably a good idea, however I’ve tried making this with english stilton and that was way too bitter.
• 1/2 leek
• Fettuccine (or any pasta you prefer, but the sauce works well with long, slingery things)
• Half tub of creme fraiche
• A few generous handfuls of walnut kernels
• Spinach (optional)
• 1 can of artichoke hearts in water, roughly chopped (optional)
• Butter for frying

Put water in your kettle and prepare for boiling the pasta (the sauce takes no time to make). Get your guest to start breaking up the walnut kernels if you bought whole ones. Slice the leek and fry it in a knob of butter until it is soft. Add in some spinach (squeeze it if you’re adding frozen one, you don’t want all that water) and make that soft too on medium heat. Turn the heat down and add your creme fraiche until you have a sauce, and then add the roughly chopped cheese and make it melt into the pan. It is important it doesn’t boil, however it needs to melt enough to be smooth and creamy. Add salt to the sauce (remember it should taste a little bit too much when you taste it in the pan, for the pasta spreads it more thinly once it is served). If you fancy artichoke hearts, this is the time to add them into the sauce. Drain the spaghetti when it is done and mix it all together (serving spaghetti and sauce separately is a pet-hate of mine). Serve onto plates immediately and scatter the walnuts kernels on top. Eat!

Amy seemed pleased.

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