Ah, gorgonzola, the creamy Italian side of Danish bleu cheese. We have often paired gorgonzola and walnuts with Zinfandel. In fact, my favorite pairing was Zin with ravioli, stuffed with pureed shallot and walnut, in a creamy gorgonzola sauce. Sometimes, in fact, most times, making ravioli from scratch is not an everyday event. And, surprisingly, this year’s 2007 Petite Sirah is the match for the sauce, not the Zin. Just when we thought cooking was predictable, this jumps out at us. Keeps us on our toes and in the kitchen.

Here is an easy delivery system for another wow-this-is-good combination of flavors

2 T butter                                ½ c walnuts, chopped fine
1/2 c Gorgonzola cheese            8 oz pasta, your choice: something wide to hang onto the sauce
1 c heavy cream                      1/2 to 3/4 c smoked salmon, flaked, optional
1 garlic clove, minced

Have your ingredients ready, then start the pasta cooking if using a 10 minute type pasta: tortellini, etc.

In a heavy saucepan, melt butter, then stirring constantly add gorgonzola until it melts, about 2 minutes.

Slowly add heavy cream. When smooth, add garlic and walnuts. If using smoked salmon, add now, reserving some for table presentation. Heat through. Keep warm over low heat until pasta is ready.

Sauce the pasta, top with reserved smoked salmon or crumbled gorgonzola.

Serve with a simple vegetable since this is very rich. And remember the 2007 Petite Sirah. Excellent.