Malfadine with Goat Cheese, Olive, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes Recipe

Here’s what I’m making next Tuesday: Malfadine with Goat Cheese, Olives, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes, from Pasta Veloce: Irresistibly Fast Recipes from Under the Tuscan Sun, by Frances Mayes and Susan Wyler.

Blending cheese, salty olives, and savory sun-dried tomatoes, rich with umami, all spiked with garlic, fragrant rosemary, and a generous amount of cracked black pepper produces a richly flavorful pasta sauce. The combination of goat cheese and mild cream cheese makes this recipe feel both rich and light at the same time. Because the olives and sun-dried tomatoes as well as the pasta water are all salty, no extra salt is added to the sauce.

Serves 4 to 6 
 
8 ounces (225 g) malfadine
4 ounces (115 g) fresh white goat cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces (115 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper
1/2 cup (80 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup (80 g) pitted black Kalamata, halved
1/3 cup (40 g) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
 
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Scoop out and reserve 1 cup (240 ml) of the cooking water; drain the pasta.
 
Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the goat cheese, cream cheese, rosemary, garlic, and pepper. Whirl until well blended. With the machine on, drizzle in the olive oil through the feed tube. Add the olives and sun-dried tomatoes and pulse until chopped.
 
Return the pasta to the pot you cooked it in along with ½ cup (120 ml) of the reserved cooking water. Add the goat cheese mixture and toss over medium heat until just warmed through, adding as much of the remaining cooking water as needed to coat the pasta.

Photo by Steven Rothfeld