gnocchi with asparagus and pancetta

Before making this, I’d only ever had gnocchi once before, and I didn’t like it all that much. It was drenched in a sweet, brown sauce. The sauce was overpowering, and totally distracted you from the gnocchi and other components of the dish! You couldn’t get away from that sauce very easily. I was quite put off after that. But then I found out that gnocchi doesn’t necessarily need a heavy sauce – it goes just as well, and if not better, with Italian simplicity. I tried it another time, and completely changed my mind! It’s actually quite delicious.

Gnocchi is a sort of pasta, made with potato, flour and egg. If you’re in Rome, it’ll probably be made with semolina flour; usually supermarkets stock a variety from buckwheat flour. Gnocchi are tiny little dumplings, shaped into ovals. You can have a go at making them from scratch, but from a packet they are just as good! If you buy a dry-cupboard variety, they’ll last for months – and when you are ready to use them, they only take 2 minutes to boil. It’s incredibly versatile. It’s often used as a starter, scattered with breadcrumbs and cheese and baked in the oven. But like the recipe below, it can also be lightly tossed in pesto for a  quick supper. It’s also a fantastic accompaniment – a replacement for ordinary pasta or potatoes to crisp pan-fried fish. They might be little, but they are tasty, and most definitely filling. A small pack usually says it “serves 3” – you might read in disbelief, but once you’ve eaten a few, you’ll realise you were wrong!

Ingredients

• 1 pack of gnocchi
• 2 dessert spoons of pesto
• 1 pack of pancetta
• 3 sprigs of asparagus per person, ends trimmed
• A handful of pine nuts
• Torn basil, to serve
• Grated parmesan, to taste

Method

1. Place a large frying pan over a medium heat, and add a little oil. Add the pancetta and asparagus, and sauté until the asparagus has softened slightly and the pancetta is beginning to brown.
2. In a large saucepan, bring water to the boil. Add the gnocchi, and boil for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the pine nuts to the asparagus, and toast until lightly browned.
4. Drain the gnocchi, return to the pan, and stir through the pesto.
5. Plate up the gnocchi, arranging the asparagus, pancetta and pine nuts on top. Top with parmesan and the torn basil, and serve!

mushroom and parsley risotto

I sometimes think that risotto is one of the most versatile dishes I know. Almost anything can be put in with the rice, and a delicious dish will always be the result. With a bit of time spare at the weekend, you can really put in the effort to create something amazing. For example, roasting vegetables and garlic in olive oil, and then taking effort to infuse the risotto rice with Moroccan spices, before combining the two for a dish full of colour and flavour. Or, say, a sweet potato and rosemary risotto – taking time to whizz up the sweet potato in a blender for a brilliant bright orange colour. Maybe, if you’re going to roast vegetables and garlic, you’d like to roast tomatoes to complement the earthy flavour of a turmeric-yellow risotto. Just to name but two examples. If you’re interested. But just as easily, within 20ish minutes, you can add mushrooms, tease out and enhance their flavour with parsley, and have a satisfying dinner.

Ingredients

• Button mushrooms, to taste, halved
• Arborio risotto rice, approximately 100g per person
• 250ml hot vegetable stock per person
• 1 clove of garlic, finely sliced
• Grated cheddar cheese, to taste
• Knob of butter
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

Method

1. Heat in a large saucepan a little olive oil with some butter, and add the risotto rice. It is important to remember that the size of the pan must reflect the amount of rice – keeping it on ‘one level’ during cooking ensures half doesn’t out-cook the rest! This means you will have an evenly cooked meal. Stir the risotto rice in the oil and butter continuously, until the edges of each grain become slightly transparent.
2. Add the sliced garlic, and fry until it smells aromatic. Then, add a ladle of hot stock, and stir. It is incredibly important to add the stock gradually – as it is added, it is absorbed by the rice, cooking it. If it is added too quickly, it will evapourate away but the rice may remain slightly raw. 
3. Half way through adding the stock, stir in the mushrooms, and sprinkle with the parsley. They will cook in the stock, and will darken in colour and reduce in size. Keep adding the stock to the mushrooms and the rice. As it is added, it should begin to form a small sauce, and the rice should be tender but with a slight ‘bite’ in the centre. Add another ladle of stock as the previous one is absorbed almost fully – if you run out of stock, just use boiling water. This process should take around 20 minutes.
4. Keep on the heat for 5 minutes more to ensure it is all warmed through. Risotto is not meant to be thick, but creamy and spill onto the plate – if yours is too stodgy, add a little more hot water.
5. Once the risotto is cooked, take it off the heat, add a knob of butter, and place a lid on the pan. Leave for 2 minutes, and add the grated cheddar.
6. Leave the risotto with a lid on again for around 5 minutes, to allow the flavours to combine, absorbing the butter and cheese for extra ‘ooze’.
7. Pour the risotto into a deep bowl. Drizzle a little oil over the top, if it needs further breaking up to ‘ooze’. Season, top with a little more parsley, and serve.

 

wintry pumpkin stew

Make the most of what could be nature’s most weighty fruit – the humble pumpkin.

I can’t recall where I found this recipe now, but I have a feeling that it was in a promotional recipe book. Wherever it was from (and I promise to dig through the mounting piles of paper in my room to find out!), it is fantastic. I made it for my boyfriend, and as an avid meat eater, he was probably a little unnerved to discover that it was vegan – if something could taste this good without meat and dairy, what else would turn out to be lies?! But yes, the wonderfully creamy texture of this dish has absolutely no connection with a cow, or a goat, if that’s your milk of choice. It is the pumpkin that takes centre stage, rather than sliced chicken, or meat. Along with tomatoes, it gives the stew a vibrant hue that is cosy and inviting. And just one mouthful confirms that it tastes as good as it looks – the smooth consistency is deliciously welcoming, whilst the hint of chili from the cajun spice lends warmth. Though October famed, pumpkins are actually seasonal throughout winter, coming in in September and at their best from October to December. Which makes it the perfect muse for this wintry stew, spicy and comforting for when it’s just too cold outside.

Ingredients, serves 3-4, (can be frozen)

• ½ pumpkin, deseeded, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 1 pepper, deseeded and cut into thin strips
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 400g tin of plum tomatoes
• Tin of coconut milk
• Cajun seasoning – preferably one that has fennel included in it, such as Barts
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

Method

1. Fry the sliced onion in a drizzle of olive oil, until they begin to wilt. This should take around 8-10 minutes. Add in the sliced peppers, and stir until they begin to colour.
2. Add the garlic to the pan, and fry until it begins to smell aromatic. Add the Cajun seasoning to taste, and stir thoroughly to ensure all the ingredients are coated in the spices. Season.
3. Place the pumpkin chunks into the pan, and fry until they are softened a little. Then, add in the tomatoes and coconut milk. Bring to the boil, and then reduce to a simmer.
4. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, until the pumpkin is softened through. Serve immediately, with boiled potatoes or crusty bread for dipping!

Serve, listen, enjoy.