Recipe: Blush Sauce

Want a decadent sauce to create a perfect meal? This homemade blush sauce is sure to a. complete a dish and b. make its excellence sky rocket out of proportions. Both easy to make and delicious to eat. This is most definitely a recipe you want to try if you adore pasta like me. Anyway, here's the recipe: 

Ingredients: 
12 oz. linguine pasta 
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil 
1 large shallot, minced (1/3-1/2 cup) 
1 garlic clove, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes 
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained & pulsed into a food processor until mostly smooth (about 5 1 second pulses) 
1 1/2 c. half & half 
1/2 tsp. salt 
1/2 tsp sugar 
1/2-3/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese (I recommend 3/4, it really enhances the flavor, even if you don't like the taste of Gorgonzola, it blends perfectly and enhances, doesn't take over the sauce) 
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
freshly ground black pepper to taste 

Instruction: 

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat until oil simmers. Add shallot and sauté, stirring often until shallot is softened, but not browned, around 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until very fragrant, about a minute. Add tomatoes, half & half, salt and sugar. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally until thickened slightly & mostly smoothed out, about 15 minutes. Add Gorgonzola and stir until the cheese melts and is homogenous with the sauce. 

2. While sauce simmers, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add around 1 Tablespoon of salt to the water and add pasta. Cook according to package directions to al dente. Drain and reserve 1 cup past water in case the sauce turns out too thick. 

3. Add linguine to sauce along with the chopped basil. Stir to well-coat pasta the with sauce, adding the reserved pasta cooking water a little at a time if the sauce is too thick. Season with freshly ground black pepper. 

Enjoy! 
​Anji