Recipe: Gnocchi

I love gnocchi! I haven't always though, I really did not enjoy the texture of them as a child, but then all I had to try was store bought, ready made ones. It wasn't until a holiday to Italy years ago, that I really began to appreciate them.

I've always heard people say how easy they are to make and thought this must be absolute rubbish, fabulous cooks making fabulous food and just playing up the whole "anyone can do it" nonsense. But when cravings occur they must be sated.
One evening, Arjan and I found ourselves both having an intense desire for gnocchi and upon discovering that we had all the necessary ingredients to hand, I decided to bite the bullet and give it a try. Yet again, pinterest was to thank for this recipe and by golly am I glad I found it.

I used this recipe for truffled gnocchi with mushroom ragu from Simply Delicious.

These gnocchi were light and soft and fluffy and delicious! I wasn't the biggest fan of the sauce, but Arjan loved it, so I think that's just personal taste. The gnocchi were what counted for us at that time and they really delivered. I doubled the quantities for this recipe (just for the gnocchi, not the sauce) and we had half then and put the rest in a bag in the freezer.

Another way we love to have gnocchi is fried. This might sound unusual, but don't gnoc it till you've tried it (eh, eh?!). We first did this a couple of years ago as poor students wanting something cheap, quick and delicious, it's starting to catch on a bit now and can be found online more readily.
The fried gnocchi become like little roast potatoes, getting a golden, crispy crust and a soft, slightly chewy centre. They are fantastic on their own as a slightly indulgent lunch or snack, or as an accompaniment for a main meal.
Ours were still frozen when we remembered they were there decided to use them and I did see people online saying best not to fry them from frozen due to spitting fat and whatnot, but I threw caution to the wind and went for it. Adding plenty of butter, I fried them over a low heat at first, covered with a lid to help them warm through, then I turned up the gas to high in the final few minutes to get them nice and crisp. Overall they took maybe 10-15 minutes from frozen (obviously much quicker from fresh) and make sure to keep them moving so you don't end up with one side burnt and the other mushy!

Give it a try and amaze friends and family with your incredible cooking prowess!