Just say gnocchi

Last night we took a a trip to gnocchi land. It was a nice visit: very rich with diverse flavors but simple ingredients. It's a not a trip I could take everyday, but rather once in awhile. Here's the recipe:

Baked Gnocchi with Pesto, Peas, and Pancetta (followed to a T from biggirlssmallkitchen.com)

Ingredients:

2lbs gnocchi

4oz pancetta, finely diced

4 Tbsp butter

1/3 C flour

3 C milk, at room temperature

¼ Tbsp nutmeg

1/3 C pesto

1 C frozen peas

¾ C grated fontina cheese

1/3 C bread crumbs

Method:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees (yes, really, 500 degrees).
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the gnocchi for 2 minutes. They cook extremely quickly and will finish off in the oven, so don’t overdo them.
• In the meantime, fry the pancetta in ½ Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Set aside.
• In the same pan, melt the butter over medium heat. When fully liquified, whisk in the flour to create a roué. Add the milk and nutmeg, and simmer until reduced by half. Add the pesto, peas, pancetta, and gnocchi. Stir to combine.
• Place mixture in a large casserole dish and cover with the grated fontina. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, until the cheese has become brown and crispy. Remove from oven, cover with bread crumbs and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.

Now when I dumped the mixture into the casserole dish, I was worried it was way too liquidy, but I gotta say, by the time I took her out after 10 minutes, things were looking up! After the bread crumbs and extra 5 minutes in the oven, the top was crispy and the inside creamy.

I ate a side salad to start, so I couldn't eat much pasta--even someone of my size (over weight), with my so-called hollow leg. My husband said the pasta would make a nice side dish, to a steak possibly? I'd agree with him.

So bottom line: JUST SAY YES TO GNOCCHI!



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