Baked Rigatoni with Gorgonzola, Brussels Sprouts, and Figs

 

By the time I finally made a plan to make this, figs were out of season (go fig-ure) so I used dried figs instead.  I really liked the combination of flavors here, but wasn't crazy about all the dried figs, so I reduced the quantity in this recipe. You can always add more, or it's possible that this recipe is just better with fresh figs.  I guess I'll have to find out next year ...

Serves 4


Rigatoni with Gorgonzola, Brussels Sprouts, and FigsAdapted from: Mark Bittman

Ingredients

8oz (1/2 pound) rigatoni
4 oz gorgonzola, or other blue cheese, crumbled (gorgonzola dulce worked well)
1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts, roughly chopped
6-8 fresh figs, or 1/2 cup dried, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped almonds
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup reserved pasta water

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with a little olive oil.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the rigatoni halfway through and add the chopped brussels sprouts to the pot.  Cook until the pasta and sprouts are barely tender, about 3 more minutes.  Reserve a 1/2 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta/sprouts, then return to pot.

3. Stir in the gorgonzola, figs, olive oil, and a splash of pasta water. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the pasta into the baking pan.

4. Bake pasta for 15-20 minutes, checking occasionally, and adding more pasta water if the pasta looks like it's starting to dry out. Garnish with chopped almonds.