Pasta with Gorgonzola and pear with truffle oil, Balsamic Ox tongue salad (Dinner 23 June)

This pasta recipe was originally introduced by my Italian friend some years ago. Since then we became a fan of this. I modified it into my way as adding truffle oil. This is a marriage of rich and sharp flavour of Gorgonzola cheese and sweet and delicate taste of pear. The hint of truffle oil upgrades the dish to a luxury. In addition, this is very easy and quick to prepare.

Ingredients: 200-250g Rigatoni pasta, 1.5-2 fully ripe pears, 200g Gorgonzola cheese, truffle oil, olive oil, S&P

Pasta with Gorgonzola and pear with truffle oil

1. Boil plenty of water (more than 3 L) in a deep pan for cooking pasta. Add 1.5 table spoonful salt and start to cook the pasta for 10-12 mints
2. Peel the skin of pears and cut them into 1.5cm cube. Cut the cheese into the same size
3. When the pasta ready, drain the water with a net. Add the cheese into the pan and stir well to mix with pasta and allow the cheese melt. 
4. Add pieces of pear, black pepper and 1 tablespoonful truffle oil (I usually do not add any salt since Gorgonzola cheese tastes enough salty)

While boiling pasta, I prepared salad with staffs left in my fridge.

Mushrooms, paprika, cucumber and slices of ox tongue

I got some packs of ox tongue from Japan Centre. This should be cooked very quickly and served immediately. 

Ox tongue salad with Balsamic vinegar

1. Season the ox tongue with S&P
2. While cutting all veggies, heat a small flying pan and cook mushrooms with olive oil and a tiny potion of garlic (1/2 teaspoonful) 
3. Put the mushrooms into a salad bowl with other veggies and wipe the pan with paper towel. 
4. Add some olive oil and heat the pan into a high flame then cook the ox tongue very quickly such as for 20 seconds of each side and add 1 tablespoonful balsamic vinegar

As the weather was very bad, I stayed at home. To entertain myself, I made a dessert with oranges that Mr. Husband brought from his office. Recently oranges became his office snack since he started to concern his weight gain. Perhaps he became bit tired of healthy snack so decided to take them to home.  So, I remade them into un-boring way.

Orange jelly cup

1. Cut the oranges into half and squeeze the juice. Keep the cups and remove the skin of the meat
2. Gently boil 1/4 cups of water with1.5 table spoonful sugar
3. When the sugar is dissolved, add 3 leaves of gelatin (about 7g) and stir it till the gelatin is dissolved in low temperature
4. Add the orange juice and 1 teaspoonful lemon juice and mix well
5. Strain the jelly liquid with a net and gently power it into the cups of oranges into full level. Place them in a plate or small tray.
6. Deliver the tray to the fridge and store it there for two hours
7. Cut the orange cup into half or 1/3  for serving 

Total time for preparing: 30 mints

Total cost 5.03 pounds: 2 pounds for Gorgonzola cheese, 50p for pears, 2.23 pounds for ox tongue, 30p for other veggies