sometimes the mister & i get a little carried away at the specialty cheese case at the grocery store.  it really is hard to resist though, especially on those days when we walk by & the bright orange “special” stickers dotting the case make the usually expensive choices deals you can’t walk away from.  so we don’t.

{happen to anyone else?}

most of it gets devoured right when we get home, as an appetizer while we’re cooking dinner, but sometimes, little remnants get pushed to the back of the fridge drawer & rarely make it out…at least in a recognizable form.

until this pasta.

the pioneer woman has saved our scraps from their fuzzy green demise.

the original recipe called for four different cheeses, but we had five, so in they went.  you can adjust the amounts for how ever many cheeses you have on hand, just go with the taste & reserve some starchy pasta water to perfect the consistency.

PASTA AI CINQUE FORMAGGI
serves 6-8

1 cup heavy cream
1 lb pasta, angel hair, linguine, or fettuccine
1/2 cup fontina cheese, freshly grated
1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese, freshly grated
1/2 cup gouda, freshly grated
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano, freshly grated
1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, peeled

in a small saucepan, over low heat, heat the cream. leave on warm while everything else comes together.

bring a large pot of water to a boil & salt well. cook the pasta to al dente, according to package instructions. reserve a few cups of the cooking liquid, then drain. return to the cooking pot.

add the warm cream & butter to the cooked pasta. add the cheeses & salt & pepper. stir gently to combine, adding the reserved pasta liquid if necessary. be careful not to mix too much, little clumps of cheese are ok. taste to adjust seasoning.

rub the clove of garlic along the inside of a large serving bowl, or individual serving dishes.  add pasta & serve immediately.

adapted from the pioneer woman cooks!