“Urda” Gnocchi with Parsley, Lemon and Almond pesto

A long time ago I tried to make gnocchi. The plot involved an Italian boyfriend, sleep deprivation and a fabulous walnut sauce. The plot, alas, got lost. The gnocchi dissolved into something akin to prisoner of war camp potato soup or being more charitable: wallpaper paste. The fabulous sauce dried up and was never used. The boyfriend sneered. I sulked. Fast forward a number of years, a desire to vanquish the gnocchi demon and a sneaking suspicion that some little dumplings made with “Urda” and sexed up with a fabulous pesto would work. And work they did… in fact they have been eaten twice in one week, once fresh and once frozen and both times equally beguiling.

Gnocchi work well with all manner of sauces but they seem particularly delicious with a more piquant sauce…this garlicky, lemony, almondy sauce does the trick. I discovered this pesto by accident: lemons, a load of garlic, some slightly limp parsley and a crumpled bag of apricot kernels on one of those nights when you look at your cupboard and think “is there a meal here”…and of course there always is. Now this pesto is one of my favorites. I have used it as a spread on crostini, drizzled over halloumi (amazing!) and with the gnocchi.

These gnocchi are fast, they freeze and they work with many sauces. Give them a go and you will have a wonderful earthy comfort food dish mastered perhaps a bit faster than I managed.

 

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Beetroot risotto with goat’s cheese

A simple but stunning “Romanian risotto” bursting with flavor and color. I have to credit my Mum for this ingenious recipe and helping me perfect it. Beetroot, local goat’s cheese, thyme and lovage are the key flavors here with the sweetness of the beetroot and lovage contrasting with the goat’s cheese. Making risotto is oddly hypnotic – stirring in circles, sipping a glass of wine and watching something slowly change form in front of you. Slow slow food indeed that is just so right on a chilly evening, glass in hand.

Use the best quality saucepan you have with a wide base unless you are the proud owner of a risotto pan. You want slow well conducted heat and a large surface area. I always used to cook risotto in a le Creuset casserole dish until it got lost in another move, the thick iron base of such pans is ideal. A wooden spatula with a straight edge (important). Other than these two basic but important items no special equipment is required.

Here I cook with my trusty sous chef

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Brussel sprout & parmesan soup

If like me you were traumatized by school dinner boiled to death, mushy, rancid and a curious shade of muddy pink Brussel sprouts it might be time to revisit them on adult terms. I have recently been experimenting with them (almonds, pancetta and even chorizo thrown into a wok and stir fried) and am becoming a fan.

The trick is I think to stir fry them just until they are browning and caramelizing and this gives an amazing sweet taste that offsets the slightly sulphury compounds found in all brassicas and most importantly it cooks them so they retain their crunch. The addition of cream and parmesan to Brussel sprouts seems to be one of those food “holy trinities” – they go just brilliantly (also good is a gratin of Brussel sprouts with parmesanned breadcrumbs), and this soup uses that to great effect.

This recipe is one of those recipes that is more a guide than a list of quantities to be followed religiously. In these abstemious times it is good to have recipes that seem to be made for using up leftovers and in fact the version I made on Boxing Day this Christmas made full use of the left over gravy and bread sauce…in to the soup pan they went! I think I garnished with crispy bacon but it might have been a parsley drizzle. So here is a recipe with suitable improvs and substitutions thrown in:

Ingredients

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1 medium onion chopped

2 or 3 roast potatoes or parsnips would be fine to add

1 liter of stock or left over gravy made up with water to 1 litre1.2l vegetable stock , made from a stock cube

600g pan fried until caramelized a little Brussel Sprouts (if using leftover sprouts then also do try and fry them to obtain this caramel taste)

Some cream, milk or leftover bread sauce – approx. 500ml

A little nutmeg and fresh thyme and a bay leaf

100g freshly grated parmesan (other strong cheese does work but I like the parmesan)

How To

Fry the sprouts in a wok until caramelized (helps to halve them) with the chopped onion. Add any other vegetables you are using when the Brussels are done.

Pour into a larger saucepan that is big enough to contain all the liquids. Add the stock/gravy and cream, a pinch of nutmeg, a bay leaf and two or three sprigs of fresh thyme.

Bring to the boil and when boiling switch off and add the parmesan. Now blitz with a hand blender. Add milk until you have the consistency that you require.

Note: it is worth making sure you use stock – a stock cube in a hurry never hurt anybody – as it deepens the flavor and help makes the dish taste like soup and not pureed vegetables.