Gnocchi is a great side dish, but what about the main dish? I wanted to rethink how I could make these delicious, billowy, cloud-like potato 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’re sometimes pan-fried first to give a 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 most grocery stores today carry fresh potato gnocchi, so it’s easily available. This is my Pan-Seared Gnocchi.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time Total: 12 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
Yields: 2 servings
Equipment: 2 (12-inch) sauté pans, 1 tight-fitting glass lid, chef’s knife, cutting board

Ingredients:
17.5-ounces (1 package) of potato gnocchi
1/4 cup of orange bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1/4 cup of red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1/4 cup of yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
2 tablespoons of red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons of celery, finely diced (optional)
1 tablespoon of Fresno chili, seeded and finely minced
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter, unsalted
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/2 a teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly-grated (more if you like)
Garnish:
2 tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Instructions:
In a preheated sauté pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Add the finely diced bell peppers, celery, and red onion, stirring frequently, and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the veggies soften. Season with kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper. Add the finely minced garlic and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes. Set aside.

This next stage goes pretty fast. In another large sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the entire package of gnocchi to the pan. Brown the gnocchi on one side for 2-3 minutes. Don’t disturb them. The gnocchi needs a chance to brown and caramelize. Once that happens, use a spatula to flip the gnocchi and cook for another 1-2 minutes on the other side.

Next, add the water and immediately cover it with a tight-fitting lid (preferably a glass lid). The gnocchi will start to steam. Once all the water has evaporated, about 2 minutes, take the pan off the heat.

Transfer the gnocchi to a large serving bowl. Add the sautéed vegetables, and toss to combine. Grate Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the top. Garnish with very finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley. Serve hot.

There you have it, my Pan-Seared Gnocchi.

Note:
1) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through a preferred online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/