Pasta Salad with blue cheese

I've always hated the term: it takes an acquired taste. I've always thought it was silly to keep on eating stuff you didn't like until you liked it. What, you can't accept there's food on this planet you just don't like? Is it a competition between you and the food: damn it... I wíll get to like you... I don't care how often I will have to try you?

I also thought it was a very pretentious term, since it usually applies to 'fancy' stuff like wine, olives, abstract art and jazz.

But over the years I've gotten to appreciate wine, olives and abstract art. Thanks to exposure and the willingness to try, or the unwillingness to look like a bloody peasant in a fancy restaurant. Jazz and I still aren't friends though.

The acquired taste certainly goes for blue cheese. The first look, the first smell and if you dare, the first taste kind of makes a person want to gag. It's creepy looking. There's mould on it. Who in their right mind would eat something with mould on it? Yet, as off putting as it may be in the beginning, the more you try blue cheese, the more you like it. In a dish, or just by itself with a nice red wine, that has also taken an acquired taste. The things we do for our stomach.

This blue cheese salad is somewhat of a classic. For lunch or for diner after a warm summer's day, it's easy and quick to make and very lovely.

Kitchen utensils

• pan
• small bowl for mixing vinaigrette (if you don't buy ready made)
• small whisk or fork for mixing vinaigrette
• bowl
• knife

Ingredients

• farfalle pasta (aka butterfly pasta or bow-tie pasta)
• mixed salad leaves
• blue cheese (Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Stilton, Danish blue. I used Cambonzola, but only because it was the only one in the store without rennet at that moment. Cambonzola is smooth (it's a brie) and milder than Danish Blue or Gorgonzola. It might actually be a good one to start with if you've never had blue cheese.)
• white grapes or pear (both are nice with blue cheese. I used the grapes this time.)
• almonds (with or without salt. The salty ones are nice, but blue cheese can be quite salty so you might want to watch your blood pressure.)
• vinaigrette: you can use a ready made vinaigrette from the supermarket like a sweet raspberry vinaigrette. I made mine with grape pit oil, apple juice, red wine vinegar (because I was out of white wine vinegar) and some salt. Just make it a sweet vinaigrette. The cheese has a sharp and salty taste and the sweetness of the vinaigrette is a nice contrast.

Cook pasta as indicated on pack. Keep it al dente, nice and firm. When done, run under cold tap, stir in a little bit of (olive) oil so they won't stick together and let it cool further in the fridge. Chop or crumble cheese, make vinaigrette and mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Ready to serve!

Sunny Salad with Goat's Cheese

Summer has arrived here. And after a long, hot day, nothing tastes better than a crispy salad on your balcony or in your garden. Of course with a glass of cool rosé. Or have it during lunch, under a parasol... of course with a glass of cool rosé... Fancy yourself Greek for a moment, minus the huge debts.

Kitchen utensils

• chopping board
• sharp knife
• oven
• butter brush (I have silicone one, because it is easer to clean than the wooden ones. Plus, I suspect the bristles of the wooden ones come of the back of a pig. No... no... no...)

Ingredients

• mixed salad (I used a mixture of rocket, baby leaves and lollo rosso)
• goat's cheese (Dutch Albert Heijn has goat's cheese without rennet)
• cherry tomatoes
• sun dried tomatoes (I usually buy the ones in a bag, instead of the ones in a jar. An opened jar will only keep five days in the fridge, a bag of dried tomatoes lasts much longer and they don't have so many calories as the tomatoes in oil. You need to soak them in lukewarm water for about 15, 20 minutes, rinse them with cold water to get rid of the salt and they are ready to use. Personally, I like the dried tomatoes just as much as the ones in oil. Experiment with brands. I recently had a cheap one that was horrible. Same goes for the ones in jars, there are major differences between brands. Always look on the pack for instructions.)
• walnuts
• pine nuts
• balsamico cream (balsamico cream is thicker and sweeter than plain balsamico and I like it better in these kind of salads or on bread.)
• bread (I used ciabatta.)
• olive oil
• sea salt (optional)

Preheat oven to about 200 Celsius/400 Fahrenheit. In the mean time, chop a few tomatoes, dried and fresh. Crush some walnuts and pine nuts. Cube goat's cheese. Cut bread in long slices, about an inch, two centimetres thick. Rub the slices with olive oil and sprinkle sea salt over them if your blood pressure allows it. Heat slices in preheated oven till warm, this should take about 5 to 10 minutes. Keep watch, because you don't want them to be too crunchy. Place salad in bowl or deep plate, put tomatoes and goat's cheese on top and sprinkle the nuts over it. Pour a little bit of balsamico cream over your salad. Take care not to use too much as it has quite a overbearing taste. Serve with warm ciabatta and rosé or white wine.