Figs and Gorgonzola

The first rule in improvisational theatre, is never say, “No,” because once you do, everything stops. There is nowhere to go. Instead, if you say “yes, and ...”, the options are endless. For example, “Yes! I am a princess! And I live in the kingdom of Brooklynsylvaniabourg!” If you follow the same rule in the kitchen, all sorts of surprises can result. I was reminded of this a year ago when I was at my sister’s farm outside of Fredericksburg, trying to decide what to fix for dinner. Neither of us were up for a trip to the store, so we decided to make due with what was on hand. There wasn’t much. It was late September. The last of the tomatoes had been picked, and the peppers were long gone. The garden was bare. One little fig tree, tucked away behind the green house, was the only plant that still bore fruit. The figs on the tree were the tiniest I’ve ever seen-- Jewels of sweet earthiness no bigger than a quail’s egg. In the fridge was a block of gorgonzola and there was a box of rigatoni in the cabinet. I wanted to stuff the figs with the blue cheese and roast them. Emily suggested pasta. It didn’t sound good to me, but she was a new mother and feeling sensitive, so I gave a non-committal grunt and kept searching for more ingredients. The afternoon passed, and as dinnertime approached, I brought the subject up again. “What should we do with the figs and gorgonzola?” Emily gave me a steady look. “I’ve got sausage in the freezer. Lets make a pasta with all three.” I sighed, and went along with her idea. The dish was quick and easy to prepare and full of zesty cheese and bits of sweet earthiness. Even her husband, who isn’t a blue cheese fan, had seconds. Maybe he believes in “ Yes, and,” as well.

Cup of figs, cut in half
Cup of crumbled gorgonzola
3 sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
¼-1/2 cup white wine
3tbls olive oil
2/3 box rigatoni

Start water boiling for pasta. When water is at a rolling boil, add pasta, cooking until al-dente.
In skillet, cook sausages until well done. Remove cooked sausage from pan, and then add wine to the same pan, stirring over med-heat to de-glaze. When wine is reduced by half, add olive oil. Continue to stir. Season with salt and pepper (and sugar if the wine is too tart) to taste. Once wine oil mixture has a silky texture, turn down heat and add a tablespoon of gorgonzola. Remove skillet from heat.

When pasta is done, drain, but reserve ¼ cup liquid. Place the pasta and reserved liquid into serving bowl, and stir to incorporate. Add gorgonzola, sausage, and sauce. Top with the figs. Toss and serve.

Note—recently I wanted to make this again, but didn’t have any figs. I used green grapes instead, and it was delicious as well.