Gnovel Gnocchi

 

The markets here abound with surprises. In Pertuis last Friday, Susan found some basil gnocchi, and she's a sucker for gnocchi any time. I'm generally less excited about gnocchi, rarely finding the potato-based pasta to be anything other than a gooey disaapointment. Susan made half the gnocchi last Friday for lunch, right after we got home. She enjoyed it, but wasn't overwhelmed. I demurred, figuring why bother.

The second half remained in the fridge, in the ubiquitous small paper bags that they give here at the markets that ensure that you can't see what you have on hand.

In the meantime, I saw a post somewhere about an alternative approach to gnocchi -- pan frying instead of boiling -- that really got my attention. Now, I'm a sucker for crisp, browned potatoes of any sort. Roasted potatoes, home fries with onions, whatever, and I'm a fan. (I wish I could give you a link to the inspirational post, but alas, I can't find it. I'm pretty sure it was Bittman, but the Times now has a new Diner's Blog replacing good ol' "Bitten" that I don't know where it is, despite my valiant few minutes of googling).   Update:  it was 101 Cookbooks.  Of course.

We had scored some asparagus from the honey lady at the Cucuron market on Tuesday.The thick bundle became part of lunch on Wednesday to accompany a charcoal-grilled chicken (first BBQ of the season!), but still had a bundle of the thin ones. The honey lady said the thick ones were best for stand-alone use, while the thin ones were good in things like omelets. Omelets, gnocchi...hmmm.

(By the way, I'm having a great time typing the word gnocchi. Gnocchi, gnocchi, gnocchi. Susan's even teaching me how to pronounce it properly -- think the transition between syllables of "banyan" or "canyon" to handle that awkward "gno" start.)

So. Couple of glugs of olive oil in the skillet. Couple of cloves of garlic minced, sauteed for a minute or so to flavor the oil. Add in the asparagus, sliced into three or four pieces each, on a bias. Add in the gnocchi at the same time. Cook on low for a few minutes to get them both cooked through, then crank up the heat to brown. A little salt and pepper before serving, and we're done.

I was in heaven. I'll eat gnocchi like this any time. with any kind of accompaniment. The texture was firm, but not mushy. The slight crunchiness added some interest. Like eating potatoes! Susan was disappointed that the basil-flavoring of the gnocchi (it was basil gnocchi) wasn't coming through, but I didn't care.  I have a feeling that sitting for almost a week in the fridge didn't do it any good on that score. The garlic/oil was enough for me. And the asparagus cooked this way was perfect as well.

Bring on the gnocchi I say. As long as I can use my skillet. Gnocchi, gnocchi, gnocchi, gnocchi.