Potato #gnocchi is a great side dish, but what about as the main dish. I wanted to rethink how I could make these delicious billowy cloud- like dumplings into something with a little more texture. I thought about changing the cooking process to a more Asian style technique.
The traditional way to cook them is to drop them into boiling salted water. when they float to the surface they’re done. When you cook with Asian dumplings they are sometimes pan- fried, first to give that crunchy exterior, then a splash of water is added, the lid is placed on, and they finish by steaming. This allows for the inside to have a creamy texture.
I decided to give this technique a try with gnocchi. For this challenge, rather than making the gnocchi from scratch, I decided to buy a good store- bought brand. It turns out, my grocery carries fresh potato gnocchi.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time Total: 12 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
Yields: 2 servings
Ingredients:
1/4 each of red and yellow bell pepper, small dice.
2 grated garlic cloves
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
1/2 a teaspoon of black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes ( more if you like it spicy)
1 package of potato gnocchi
1 stick of unsalted butter
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (more if you like)
Flat leaf Italian parsley for garnish
Directions:
In a preheated sauté pan add olive oil. On medium heat, cook the bell peppers for 2-3 minutes. Season with Kosher salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Add in the grated garlic and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes, stirring ocassionally. This next stage goes pretty fast. In another large sauté pan, on medium heat, melt the butter. Add the entire package of gnocchi to the pan. Brown the gnocchi on the one side for 2-3 minutes. Don’t disturb them. The gnocchi needs a chance to brown and caramelize. Once that’s happens, using a spatula, flip them and saute for another 1-2 minutes on the other side.
Next, add the water. The gnocchi will start to steam. Immediately place on a tight fitting lid (preferably a glass lid). Once all the water evaporates about 2 minutes, remove the gnocchi from the heat.
Transfer the gnocchi to a large serving bowl. Then grate the cheese over the top and garnish with Italian flat leaf parsley. Serve hot.
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