Pasta alla cenere—literally “pasta with ash”—is not an ancient or strictly regional recipe. The dish originated in the 1980s in restaurants in the Milan area (Lombardy) as a chic variation of the traditional pasta al gorgonzola. The idea was to combine gorgonzola cheese with finely chopped black olives, whose color gives the dish its “ashy” (cenere) appearance.
Gorgonzola originated in Lombardy, more precisely in the small town of Gorgonzola, east of Milan. It is believed that this blue cheese was invented there around the 9th century. Originally, gorgonzola was simply melted with a little milk or cream, often on gnocchi or penne pasta. No nuts, no pears, no frills, just cheese and fat to survive the Milanese winter.
Pasta: 200 grams. Ideally you would use Penne Rigate but the recipe also works very well with good spaghetti.
Gorgonzola: 100 grams, cut into small pieces so it melts more easily. Note that there is Piccante Gorgonzola, but for pasta recipes, you should use Dolce one.
Liquid cream: 20 Cl.
Black olives: 6 per person.
Bring water to a boil for the pasta (bottom of a saucepan + kettle) and turn on a low heat under the sauté pan. Then begin the recipe by preparing the ingredients. The olives should be chopped quite finely.
M-11 (Adjust according to your pasta cooking time): Add the pasta to the pan
M-10: Add the cream to the skillet, then the Gorgonzola pieces (stir occasionally).
M-2: Add a ladleful of pasta cooking water to the skillet, then drain the pasta (it needs 2 more minutes of cooking, we agree) and add it to the skillet. Mix well and cook for the remaining two minutes.
M-1: Add the chopped olives and mix.
M: Season with black pepper on the plate (of course).
