Four-Cheese Spaghetti with Figs
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: 10 min
- Cook time: 15 min
- Serving: 4
PRESENTATION
Four-Cheese Spaghetti with Figs is a creamy, bold pasta built on a sweet-savory contrast that works because neither side backs down. Gorgonzola and taleggio bring pungency and funk; Parmigiano and pecorino add salt and depth. Together they melt into a rich, enveloping sauce that clings to long spaghetti the way a chunky or loose sauce never quite would. The figs — pan-cooked until slightly caramelized — are the detail that tips the whole dish into something unexpected, pulling sweetness against the sharpness of four assertive cheeses.
Late summer is the right moment for this, when figs are at their most pulpy and naturally sweet. That concentrated fruit flavor is what gives the sweet-savory contrast its definition; an underripe fig would just disappear into the sauce. The long strands gather and hold the creamy cheese sauce in a way that shorter cuts don't, so every bite carries both the cheese and the soft, caramelized fig together.
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- INGREDIENTS
- Spaghetti 11.3 oz (320 g) - thick
- Gorgonzola cheese 3.5 oz (100 g)
- Taleggio cheese 3.5 oz (100 g)
- Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1.8 oz (50 g)
- Pecorino cheese 2 oz (50 g)
- Figs 0.7 lb (300 g)
- Sugar 2 ½ tsp (10 g)
- Extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp (30 g)
- Fine salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Marjoram to taste
How to prepare Four-Cheese Spaghetti with Figs
To prepare the Four-Cheese Spaghetti with Figs, cut the figs into cubes 1, heat a drizzle of oil in a pan 2 and add the figs 3.
Add the sugar 3 and sauté them in the pan for 2-3 minutes. Then set them aside 5. Bring salted water to a boil for the pasta and cook the spaghetti 6.
Cut the gorgonzola and taleggio into pieces. In another pan, melt the taleggio and gorgonzola over low heat 8, adding half a ladle of the cooking water 9.
Drain the pasta very al dente into the pan with the cheeses 10, finish cooking by adding water as needed 11 and finally season with pepper 12.
Toss with a drizzle of oil 13, grated Parmesan and pecorino 14. Stir to combine and obtain a creamy pasta.
Plate by forming a nest of pasta 16, place the sautéed figs on top 17, add a few fresh marjoram leaves and pepper. The Four-Cheese Spaghetti with Figs are ready to be served 18.