Wagon Wheels with Sauce Roquefort
serves 4
- 1 pound of wagon wheel pasta (recommended: Barilla Mini Wheels)
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- 2 cloves of garlic, smashed and left whole
- Zest of half a lemon
- ⅓ pound of Roquefort, crumbled
- 2 cups of whole milk
- ⅔ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
- ⅓ cup parmesan, grated
- 1 ½ tablespoons of parsley
Procedure
- Cook the pasta to “al dente” in a large pot full of salted boiling water. Drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, begin with a standard béchamel with garlic and lemon. Melt the butter at the bottom of a sauce pan over medium heat, and add in the whole smashed garlic cloves and the lemon zest, along with salt and pepper. Season well—milk sauces have a tendency to be bland.
- Add in the flour, and cook for a minute. Whisk in the milk, raise the heat, and bring to a simmer.
- Allow the sauce to cook until it thickens. The test is to dip a wooden spoon in the sauce, run your finger down the back, and if the sauce stays divided, the béchamel is done.
- Add in the Roquefort, and stir until it is combined.
- Toss the drained pasta with the Roquefort sauce, and pour into a large serving bowl.
- Mix together the parmesan, walnuts, and parsley. Scatter over the top of the pasta.