ONLINE EXTRA — CHEESE SAUCES: Pasta with Blue Cheese Sauce . . . Lamb Chops with Goat Cheese Sauce . . . Fettuccine with Four Cheese Sauce, etc.

Pasta with Blue Cheese Sauce

3 cups pasta, short fusilli, cooked and tossed with a little oil

½ tablespoon butter, unsalted

½ cup milk, whole — divided

¼ cup cheese, good quality blue (Maytag) — crumbled

2 ounces cream cheese, light — cut into small pieces

Salt and pepper

1 medium tomato, ripe beefsteak

3 slices bacon, center cut — cooked in microwave

Cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano

Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a pan large enough to mix the sauce with the cooked pasta. Add ¼ cup of milk and heat until just hot. You do not want to boil it. Then, add the blue cheese and cream cheese and a little salt and pepper. Stir well, incorporating the cheeses into the warm milk mixture. It is a little thick, so add the rest of the milk and heat. When the sauce is creamy and hot, add the pasta and stir well to combine.

Quickly rinse and chop our tomato and serve the pasta topped with the tomato, crumbled bacon, and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Lamb Chops with Goat Cheese Sauce

1 teaspoon salt

8 lean lamb loin chops, each about 1-inch thick

¼ to ½ teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary

¾ cup dry white wine

½ cup chicken broth

2 sprigs of rosemary

3 ounces goat cheese

Preheat oven to broil.

Place an oven-proof skillet on the stove on high heat and add the salt. When you flick a lit-tle drop of water in the skillet and it sizzles, it’s ready for the chops. Sear the chops on the first side until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes, then flip the chops, sprinkle them with pepper and sear the other side for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle chopped rosemary all over chops.

Transfer skillet to oven and broil for about 3 minutes per side, or longer, if desired. Re-move chops from the skillet and keep warm in a covered casserole dish. Return skillet to stovetop and heat over medium high heat. (Be careful not to touch the handle of the skillet since it will still be very hot.)

Add wine to deglaze the skillet, scraping the browned bits off of the bottom. Add broth and 1 sprig rosemary and simmer at a low boil until reduced by one third. Remove and discard rosemary sprig and swirl in goat cheese to complete the sauce.

Place the chops on a plate and drizzle sauce over the top. Top with remaining rosemary sprig and serve immediately.

Yield: Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 390 calories (140 calories from fat), 16 grams fat (8 grams saturated), 155 milligrams cholesterol, 900 milligrams sodium, 2 grams total carbohydrates, no dietary fiber, 50 grams protein.

Fettuccine with Four Cheese Sauce

1 pound fettuccine pasta

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped (flat leaf)

2 ounces provolone cheese, shredded

2 ounces ricotta salata, crumbled

3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Coarse gourmet or kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water just before adding the pasta and cook according to manufacturer’s suggestions, until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking water.

While the pasta is cooking heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and stir in the garlic and parsley. Add pinch of salt and pepper. Add ½ cup of pasta cooking liquid.

Drain pasta and toss it in a serving bowl with the garlic mixture. Immediately toss in the cheeses adding more salt and pepper as needed.

Yield: Serves 4.

Chicken in Tarragon and Cheese Sauce

2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

¼ cup finely chopped green onions

1 12-ounce can evaporated milk

½ cup whipped cream cheese

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

1½ teaspoons salt

1½ teaspoons coarse black pepper

1 9-ounce package refrigerated linguine

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm. Add onions to skillet and stir, scraping to get the brown chicken bits off the bottom of the pan. Whisk in evaporated milk, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, tarragon, salt and pepper. Cook, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens. Stir in chicken and heat through. Prepare pasta according to package direc-tions, pour sauce over pasta and serve immediately

Asparagus with Blue Cheese Sauce

36 to 48 asparagus spears with tough ends removed

1 cup plain yogurt

¼ cup blue cheese, crumbled

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons green onions

Salt and pepper to taste

Steam fresh asparagus until bright green and crisp-tender. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, place yogurt and blue cheese in a saucepan and warm over low heat. Add lemon juice, garlic, green onions and salt and pepper. Remove from heat and drizzle over asparagus.

Buffalo Shrimp with Pasta and Bleu Cheese Sauce

10 ounces dry fettuccine or papardelle pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

¾ pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 tablespoon Tabasco, or to taste

½ teaspoon paprika

3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or parsely

BLEU CHEESE SAUCE:

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

½ teaspoon. sugar

1 cup half-and-half

4 ounces (about 1 cup) crumbled bleu cheese

Cooking Instructions:To make the bleu cheese sauce, combine the onion, oil, garlic and sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until the onion is tender and golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the half-and-half, bring to a boil and boil over high heat for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the blue cheese until nearly melted. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pan over high heat. Stir in the pasta and boil un-covered until tender, 8 to 12 minutes.

While the pasta cooks, prepare the shrimp. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until nearly pink, about 1½ min-utes. Stir in the garlic, butter and Tabasco and cook until the shrimp is just opaque in the center, about 1½ minutes longer. Take from the heat and stir in the paprika; set aside.

Drain the pasta well and put it in a large bowl. Stir in the warm blue cheese sauce. Gently mix in 2 tablespoons of the chives. Spoon the pasta onto individual plates and sprinkle with remaining chives. Top with the shrimp and sauce and serve.

Yield: Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 615 calories, 26 grams fat (13 grams satu-rated), 183 milligrams cholesterol, 571 milligrams sodium, 60 grams carbohydrates, 35 grams protein.

Potatoes with Cheese Sauce

2 pounds medium potatoes such as purple Peruvian or Yukon Gold (about 8)

½ teaspoon chopped garlic

¼ pound queso fresco or feta, crumbled (scant 1 cup)

½ cup whole milk

1 tablespoon chopped onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon bottled ají amarillo or ají mirasol paste (sometimes labeled “crema”)

Garnish: chopped pitted black Peruvian or Kalamata olives; lime wedges (preferably Key lime)

Yield: Serves 8 as a first course or side dish.

Nacho Cheese Sauce

¼ cup chopped green pepper

¼ cup chopped red pepper

4 to 5 cloves garlic, minced

2 scallions, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoonsbutter

2 tablespoons flour

1½ cups milk

1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce

2 tablespoons minced jalapeno peppers

¼ teaspoon salt

Pinch cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon paprika

Nacho corn chips

Mix together peppers, olive oil, garlic and butter in a saucepan.

Sprinkle in flour, pour in milk and stir until mixture simmers — do not allow to boil. When mixture begins to thicken, stir in the cheese and remaining ingredients, Simmer on low heat an additional five minutes or until cheese is fully melted.

Serve with nacho chips.

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