Monday, February 25, 2008

Monday

Gnocchi with zucchini ribbons and parsley brown butter sauce (recipe in the comments)
Salad

Hot tea
Winter peach pie
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This is rich comfort food with a very basic and convenient staple - shelf-stable potato gnocchi. If you find a good brand of these , they make a wonderful base for many recipes. You may have to try a couple though. The first two brands we tried were too starchy and sticky. With several years between trying brands (after one of the starchy/sticky meals one gets a bit gun-shy), it's only relatively recently that we've made gnocchi a feature on our dinner plans. Unsurprisingly, the ones we like come from Trader Joe's. This sauce is a wonderful topping for the fluffy gnocchi. The brown butter sauce is not heavy at all and brings out the deep flavors of the zucchini, while the grape tomatoes give it enough moisture to keep it "saucy". It's an easy vegetarian pasta dish that really hits the spot.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Shallots, zucchini, grape tomatoes, Parmesan, parsley
Time: 25 minutes
Make ahead: It's ok leftover, but I would make it fresh.

Reaction
J: "Brown butter *is* all that."
M: "Molto yummy."

1 comment:

J said...

Gnocchi with Zucchini Ribbons and Parsley Brown Butter – Eating Well
Serves 2 + a wee one

1 lb fresh gnocchi (in pasta aisle in vacuum pouch)
2 T butter
2 medium shallots, chopped
3 small zucchini, made into long “ribbons” with a vegetable peeler (this is hard do several on a side of the zucchini and then turn, so the zucchini is “whittled down” evenly around)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
½ t salt
¼ t nutmeg
Pepper
½ cup Parmesan, grated
½ cup parsley, chopped

Cook gnocchi in a large saucepan according to package directions (usually until they float 3-5 minutes), drain.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the butter is beginning to brown, about 2 minutes (DO NOT OVERCOOK). Add shallots and zucchini and cook, stirring often, until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, nutmeg, and pepper, continuing to stir often until the tomatoes are just beginning to break down (1-2 minutes). Stir in Parmesan and parsley. Add gnocchi and toss to coat with the sauce.