As with other types of blue cheese, Italian gorgonzola is not for the novice - the flavour is rich and salty and it has a ripe, pungent odour.
The distinctive green-blue veining that is characteristic of gorgonzola and other types of blue cheese (such as roquefort) used to come about naturally as the cheese was aged in damp caves, which had edible penicillium spores floating about in them. Nowadays, the spores are mixed in or injected into the cheese curds. The amount of mould gives an indication of the ripeness of the cheese - as it matures, the veining becomes more prominent.
There are two main types of gorgonzola: dolce (sometimes called dolce latte, or sweet milk) and piccante. The flavour of the former isn't exactly sweet, as the name implies; rather it's creamy and mild, with a soft texture, pale colour and lighter veining. Gorgonzola piccante is crumbly, drier and much saltier, sharper and stronger in flavour. Both can be eaten on their own or used in dishes.
For a rich but easy to make pasta dish, cook a sturdy pasta such as fusilli (twists) or conchiglie (shells) in salted water until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, saut? sliced onion and diced garlic with some oil over a low flame until the onion is soft and sweet. Scoop about 200ml of the water from the boiling pasta and reserve it (the starch in the water will help thicken the sauce later on). Drain the pasta and add it to the pan containing the onion. Add cream and crumble in a good quantity of gorgonzola - you can use dolce (which will give a creamy texture) or piccante (for flavour) or a combination of the two. Add some of the pasta water and simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens enough to lightly coat the pasta. Add salt to taste (it might not need any because the cheese is salty) and lots of black pepper. Serve immediately.