Gnocchi with Spring Vegetables
This is one of those splendid weeknight dishes that solves all the problems — you’re so frightfully busy you forgot dinner, you don’t much feel like cooking or the fridge is running close to empty. All you have to do is put some gnocchi in a skillet with a knob of butter and a little olive oil, brown them up, and toss them with bright spring vegetables, fresh herbs and Parm. Dinner is ready! And, best of all, it’s as buttery-warm and soothing as they come.
For this version of the dish, we use carrots and peas. We chose them for their color, sweetness and texture — the soft, al dente carrots, the pleasant pop of the peas — and because they’re also the veggies many of us regularly keep on hand. They taste wonderful with the rich, nutty flavors of the gnocchi. And talk about texture: We can never, ever get enough of these little dumplings. So pillowy plump, so crispy.
Of course, there’s lots of room to play with this dish, and you definitely should. For substitutes, you could throw some summer squash and feta in with the basil and gnocchi. Or how about this wholesale swap: slivers of fresh radish, crumbled goat cheese and chives.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 pound gnocchi, refrigerated or frozen
4 medium carrots, sliced in ½-inch rounds
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ cup shelled peas, fresh or frozen
Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons roughly chopped basil, divided
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan
Directions:
- In a medium pot, blanch the gnocchi according to package directions. Reserving the water, transfer the gnocchi to a medium bowl. Set them aside.
- In the same pot, blanch the sliced carrots until al dente, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove them from the water, and set them aside in a small bowl.
- In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the butter melts and becomes fragrant but is not yet foaming.
- Add the blanched gnocchi to the skillet and toss to coat in the butter mixture, agitating the pan frequently to prevent sticking. Cook until the gnocchi starts to crisp and brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots have started to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add the peas and toss a few times. Season with salt and pepper.
- Take the skillet off the heat, add 1 tablespoon of basil and toss to incorporate. Garnish in the pan with the remaining basil and shredded Parmesan. Serve hot.
