Sautéed Asparagus with Melted Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts

At the risk of sounding like I'm completely lacking in modesty, let me say that this is one of the best tasting things I've ever eaten in my life and one of my favorite ways to cook asparagus.

Sautéed Asparagus with Melted Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1 pound fresh asparagus (thin spears preferred but you can peel the bottom of the spears if you use thicker asparagus)
1 tablespoon olive oil (or slightly more, depending on your pan)
4 large cloves garlic, sliced
¼ - 1/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
2- 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (see below for how to toast pine nuts)
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions
Snap off a piece of asparagus to see where to cut off the tough ends, then trim all asparagus to that length and cut into pieces about 2 inches long.

Put olive oil into large frying pan, turn heat to medium, add garlic and sauté about 1 minute, or until you start to smell garlic and the cloves are barely starting to get some color. Take pan off of heat and remove garlic and discard.

Put pan back on heat, add asparagus, and sauté about 5 minutes, turning frequently, until asparagus is barely starting to soften and brown slightly.

While asparagus cooks, toast pine nuts: Put a small frying pan on burner and turn heat to high. Add pine nuts to dry pan and toast for 1-2 minutes, or until barely turning brown, shaking pan frequently.

When asparagus is done, turn off heat and sprinkle crumbled Gorgonzola over asparagus in pan. Let sit one minute, until about half of the cheese is starting to melt and the rest is still in firm pieces. Plate asparagus and sprinkle with pine nuts. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper as desired.