The other day, we picked up a nice package of vacuum-packed gnocchi at the nice Italian shop in Dupont Circle. They were excellent, both light and toothsome, labeled "Emilia Brand." I make lots of things from scratch, but never, ever gnocchi. It daunts me. So it was a pleasant treat to have the opportunity to be able to make a gnocchi dish at home. We were both eager to try something that combined the gnocchi with pungent greens, of which we had some on hand, and it did turn out to be a great combination. Here's what I did:
First I took a bunch of red kale and trimmed it. Then I braised it with about a tablespoon of leftover oniony olive oil, about 1/2 cup water, 3 large cloves of sliced garlic, and some salt, over medium-low heat for about 25 minutes, until it was limp and glossy. I drained the kale, let it cool, and then chopped it roughly. Unlike spinach, kale doesn't give off a lot of liquid and thus doesn't lose too much volume. But still, it does shrink to about a third of its original fluffy size.
Meanwhile, I preheated the oven to 400° F.* and put a pot of salted water on to boil. The kale went back in my heavy Le Crueset pot (you could use any gratin) along with 3/4 cup half and half, some salt, and some nutmeg. I cooked the gnocchi in batches of about a quarter of a pound: drop em in, wait till they float, count ten, scoop em out with a slotted spoon. They got nestled into the kale and gently turned with a silicon spatula to mix. The kale dyed the garlic, the sauce, and the gnocchi various lovely shades of magenta.
Finally, I dotted the top with butter, sprinkled over a generous dusting of freshly grated parmesan, and popped it in the oven for about 15 minutes. Oh my, was it good. If we'd had bread and salad, what I made would have easily served 4, but I hadn't provided anything else, so between us we ate the whole thing.
The idea of baking the gnocchi in this way came primarily from Deborah Madison, in the ubiquitous Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. It is a Good Idea. However, you should be smarter than me and make sure to butter your gratin thoroughly before you add the gnocchi or anything else.
* At last I purchased an oven thermometer and discovered: Not only does our oven run between 50 and 100 degrees cool, it takes a really, really, REALLY long time to heat up. After 20 minutes set to 400 degrees, the thermometer read 275. After a mere 25 minutes, however, it was up to 300. Is there a leak somewhere? It is a holy mystery. No wonder I hate baking bread in there, though -- it just won't be possible to get things really truly hot in there. Translations so far:
to get 300, set to 400
to get 400, set to 450
When I've compiled a comprehensive list, I will write it up nicely and post it above the stove. Stupid stove.
First I took a bunch of red kale and trimmed it. Then I braised it with about a tablespoon of leftover oniony olive oil, about 1/2 cup water, 3 large cloves of sliced garlic, and some salt, over medium-low heat for about 25 minutes, until it was limp and glossy. I drained the kale, let it cool, and then chopped it roughly. Unlike spinach, kale doesn't give off a lot of liquid and thus doesn't lose too much volume. But still, it does shrink to about a third of its original fluffy size.
Meanwhile, I preheated the oven to 400° F.* and put a pot of salted water on to boil. The kale went back in my heavy Le Crueset pot (you could use any gratin) along with 3/4 cup half and half, some salt, and some nutmeg. I cooked the gnocchi in batches of about a quarter of a pound: drop em in, wait till they float, count ten, scoop em out with a slotted spoon. They got nestled into the kale and gently turned with a silicon spatula to mix. The kale dyed the garlic, the sauce, and the gnocchi various lovely shades of magenta.
Finally, I dotted the top with butter, sprinkled over a generous dusting of freshly grated parmesan, and popped it in the oven for about 15 minutes. Oh my, was it good. If we'd had bread and salad, what I made would have easily served 4, but I hadn't provided anything else, so between us we ate the whole thing.
The idea of baking the gnocchi in this way came primarily from Deborah Madison, in the ubiquitous Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. It is a Good Idea. However, you should be smarter than me and make sure to butter your gratin thoroughly before you add the gnocchi or anything else.
* At last I purchased an oven thermometer and discovered: Not only does our oven run between 50 and 100 degrees cool, it takes a really, really, REALLY long time to heat up. After 20 minutes set to 400 degrees, the thermometer read 275. After a mere 25 minutes, however, it was up to 300. Is there a leak somewhere? It is a holy mystery. No wonder I hate baking bread in there, though -- it just won't be possible to get things really truly hot in there. Translations so far:
to get 300, set to 400
to get 400, set to 450
When I've compiled a comprehensive list, I will write it up nicely and post it above the stove. Stupid stove.
