Gnocchi with Broccoli Fontina Sauce

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
14 cups water
10 cup broccoli florets
2 (16-ounce) boxes vacuum-packed gnocchi (such as Alessi)
2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fontina cheese
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Bring water to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add broccoli and gnocchi; cook 3 minutes or until done. Drain.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in broccoli mixture, fontina, broth, and pepper; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Comments:
This was really good. Fontina can be kind of strong, but it was well paired with the blank slate of the gnocchi and tempered with the chicken broth.

Creamed Chicken with Gnocchi Dumplings

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
One 1-pound package potato gnocchi
4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup chicken broth
2 scallions, chopped

Directions:
Cook the gnocchi according to package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook until toasted, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the half-and-half and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until thickened. Whisk into the chicken mixture, then stir in the gnocchi. Bring to a simmer, then season with salt and pepper and top with the scallions.

Comments:
Hmm, mine doesn't look quite as appetizing as the picture on RR's site does. I guess the red pepper adds a little color variety and leaving it out left us with a completely white dish. Eh. The flavors in the dish speak for themselves, even without the pepper. Very good. Could probably make less of the "cream" stuff and be ok.

Gnocchi with Spinach and Gorgonzola

From Rachael Ray's Just in Time cookbook (link is to the recipe from her talk show - it's pretty much the same)



Ingredients:
2 17-ounce packages gnocchi
Salt
3/4 cup walnut halves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
4 large cloves garlic, grated
2 10-ounce boxes frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound gorgonzola crumbles
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat to cook the gnocchi. Once boiling, add some salt and the gnocchi, and cook according to package directions.

Place a small skillet over medium heat with the chopped walnuts. Toast the nuts, tossing them frequently in the pan until they are golden brown and smell toasted. Remove from the heat and reserve.

While the water is coming up to a boil and the nuts are toasting, place a medium-size skillet with EVOO over low heat. Grate the garlic over the pan and gently cook in the oil for a minute or two, shaking the skillet every now and then. Add the spinach and toss to combine with the oil, then season with a little bit of salt and a lot of pepper. Add the chicken stock and bring up to a bubble. Once the stock is simmering, add the gorgonzola crumbles and toss until the cheese is nice and melted.

Add the gnocchi to the skillet and toss to coat. Ladle gnocchi into serving bowls, sprinkle with the toasted chopped walnuts and serve.

Comments:
When we started eating, Adam turned to me and said, "You know what this could use? Bacon." Typical. I agree that there was something missing. I omitted the nuts since I don't like them, but I don't think that was it. There are some leftovers so maybe I'll cook up some bacon and see if that makes the dish.

Leek-and-Gnocchi Bake with Three Cheeses and Crispy Prosciutto

From Everyday with Rachael Ray February 2009 (I don't see it on the website either. What the heck.)



Ingredients:
1 tbsp EVOO
8 thin slices prosciutto, halved crosswise
2 leeks - trimmed and cut crosswise 1/2 inch thick
salt & pepper
Two 10 to 12-ounce packages potato gnocchi
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
ground nutmeg (I left this out)
1 cup grated fontina
1/2 cup grated asiago
1/2 cup grated parmesan (or parmigiano-reggiano)

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, heat the EVOO. Working in batches if necessary, add the prosciutto in a single layer and cook, turning once, until crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Add the leeks to the skillet and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt & pepper.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the gnocchi and cook until the gnocchi float to the surface, about 3 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour for 1 minute, the whisk in the milk. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes. Stir in the fontina and asiago until melted.

4. Preheat the broiler. Drain the gnocchi and place in a casserole dish. Stir in the leeks and cheese sauce and top with the parmesan. Broil the casserole until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Top with crumbled prosciutto.

Comments:
This was fantastic. I actually used prosciutto this time rather than subbing bacon. It was too salty for my tastes so I'll probably swap it out again in the future. You never know until you try it though, right? Other than that, this turned out great. And Adam even ate some of the leftovers today so I know it had to be good! Leeks and gnocchi. What's not to like?

Gnocchi with Thyme Butter

From Taste of Home August/September 2008. It's a subscriber only recipe so I can't link.



Ingredients:
gnocchi
bacon
parmesan cheese

Comments:
Or in this household, gnocchi with bacon. Uhm, didn't follow this recipe. Obviously. I intended to - minus the whole making the gnocchi myself thing - but I got distracted by the bacon in the fridge. So I cooked some up and added that rather than butter. And it was good.

Gnocchi with Asparagus and Pancetta

From Cooking Light April 2008



Ingredients:
gnocchi
pancetta (I used bacon)
shallots (I used an onion)
asparagus
garlic
lemon juice
salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese (I forgot this)

Comments:
In my kitchen, it's "Cooking (Not-so-)Light". Heh. Other than the alterations mentioned above I pretty much followed the recipe. It's totally simple, really quick, and tastes great. The combination of textures, colors, and flavors is nice. And really, how can you go wrong with bacon and potatoes? Yum... So if you can tolerate the noxious stinky pee that asparagus is known to cause, this is a good dish to try.