Artichoke and mascarpone gnocchi with olive and lemon pangrattato
Move over girl dinner, it's time for * beige * dinner
I’m all for colour when it comes to cooking. It makes your plate look great. It’s good for you. But it doesn’t happen all the time. Sometimes you just need a beige plate.
Beige doesn’t have to mean boring, though. This easy gnocchi recipe has plenty of flavour from oodles of garlic, black pepper and jarred artichokes, and the pangrattato (Italian for ‘grated bread’) adds a crunchy texture and zestiness that works beautifully alongside the creamy mascarpone sauce. It just so happens to be… beige.
I’m of the opinion that everyone needs a little beige in their life sometimes, so I’m giving you all the gift of * beige dinner * this week.
Artichoke and mascarpone gnocchi with olive and lemon pangrattato
Serves two
2 tbsp olive oil
45g breadcrumbs (see tip below)
12 green pitted olives, drained and finely chopped
1 lemon, zested
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
285g jarred artichokes, drained (160g drained weight)
3 tbsp mascarpone
300g gnocchi
Start by making the pangrattato. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat. One hot, add the breadcrumbs, chopped olives, lemon zest and a pinch of salt and cracked black pepper. Fry, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden and crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Set a medium-sized pan of salted water over a medium heat and bring to the boil. While you’re waiting for the water to boil, set a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the remaining oil, and once hot, the garlic. Fry for 1 minute until fragrant but not browned, then add the artichokes and mascarpone. Stir to combine and heat through.
Once the water is boiling, add the gnocchi and simmer until the gnocchi floats to the top of the pan. This should take around 2-3 minutes. Once cooked, using a slotted spoon, add the gnocchi to the pan with the artichokes and mascarpone along with around 50ml of the gnocchi cooking water. Stir to combine and bubble until a thick, creamy sauce has formed.
Serve sprinkled with the lemon and olive pangrattato.
You don’t need to buy ready-made breadcrumbs if you’ve got a slice or two of bread at home. Simply tear the bread into small piece and toss into a food processor, blender or even a coffee grinder and blitz until fine breadcrumbs appear.
Gnocchi
There are a million ways to use leftover gnocchi. If I’ve only got ten minutes to make dinner and nothing much in the cupboard, I make this crispy aglio e olio gnocchi. For a nicer midweek meal for friends, I’d make something like this aubergine parmigiana gnocchi with a big bowl of greens.
Artichokes
The oily mixture left behind in the jar after it’s been emptied of its artichokes makes a brilliant flavoursome cooking oil. Use it to roast potatoes for a mediterranean-inspired roast dinner with oregano and garlic, or to brush aubergines and courgettes with before griddling to serve nestled into pittas with hummus and feta.
Mascarpone
Mascarpone is a real treat to have in the fridge. It’s a particularly useful ingredient because you can use it in both sweet and savoury dishes. Mix with a little honey and serve dolloped onto fruit and toasted flaked almonds for an easy pudding, or stirred into plain tomato sauce with basil and parmesan.