Penne in pear and gorgonzola sauce

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 200 g fennel bulb(s)
• 2 onions, red
• 2 small pears or 1 large one, e.g. Conference or Williams Christ
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper, colored or black from the mill
• 150 ml dry white wine
• 150 g Gorgonzola creamy, e.g. B. by Galbani
• 50g ciabatta
• 400g penne
• some olive oil or some herb or garlic butter for the ciabatta croutons
• e.g. Pecorino, freshly grated or sliced

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 35 minutes

with ciabatta croutons

Clean the fennel, trimming the fennel greens and setting them aside. Then wash the fennel and cut into strips. Chop the fennel greens. Peel the onions, halve them, and also cut them into strips. Rinse the pear(s), quarter them, remove the cores, and cut the pear quarters into thin wedges. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and sauté the fennel along with the onion strips for about five minutes, stirring occasionally. After about three minutes, add the pear slices and sauté. Season with a little salt and a few turns of freshly ground pepper, and deglaze with the white wine. Dice the Gorgonzola, add it, and melt briefly in the hot white wine. Finely dice the ciabatta. Heat a little olive oil in a non-stick pan or melt some herb or garlic butter and toast the ciabatta cubes for about two minutes, turning occasionally. Then set aside. Cook the penne in plenty of boiling, lightly salted water until al dente. Drain, then toss with the pear and Gorgonzola sauce. Serve on plates and garnish with the chopped fennel leaves and a sprinkle of grated or shaved pecorino, if desired.