Gnocchi Two Ways, with Pesto and Kale

Clea Grady

A fast and tasty weekday meal, that you could probably serve at a summer dinner party as well. Cooking the gnocchi two ways gives the dish more texture and crunch. Serve with a big salad if extra hungry.

Serves 2

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Ingredients

1 x packet of gnocchi (I use Ocado’s own)
1/2 packet of kale
1 x red or yellow pepper
Generous handful of Kalamata olives, mashed, stoned and ripped in half
8-10 baby plum tomatoes
A generous tablespoon of nut-free pesto – I use Zest with coriander
Olive oil
Cracked black pepper
Cracked sea salt
Roasted chickpeas (optional)
Spring onion (optional)

Serves 2

Method

Put a frying pan on a medium heat and add a generous splash of olive oil
Pour in half the packet of gnocchi
Add pepper and salt and stir – keep stirring every now and then as prepare the veg
Chuck the kale in a colander and wash thoroughly. Set aside
Chop up the pepper into bite sized squares
Quarter your tomatoes
Squash each olive with the back of your knife to pop out the stone, rip in half
Pour kale onto board with rest of veg and assess the frying gnocchi – if the gnocchi is starting to turn a light gold colour, turn down the heat and fill the kettle up with water
Pour boiling water into a saucepan, on a medium/high heat and throw in the remaining gnocchi
When each of the gnocchi have floated to the surface (after a couple of minutes) turn down the heat and pour into the colander to drain
In the same pan, on a low heat, put a generous dollop of pesto
Add the peppers, tomatoes and olives and mix together
Check that your fried gnocchi is nearly done – you want it golden in colour, with a crunchy outside and a soft middle. Try if you are unsure
Add the boiled gnocchi to your pesto mix and then add the kale, stirring as you go
When the kale is starting to wilt and darken in colour, turn off the heat on both pans
Serves immediately onto warmed plates, with the pesto-covered gnocchi in the centre and some crunchy fried gnocchi round the edges
Add a little cracked pepper on top

TIP: Leave some for seconds as it is very moreish, but the gnocchi is more filling than you imagine. Best enjoyed with a cool glass of vino!

Serving suggestion: Top with roasted chickpeas and spring onion for an extra twist (second image). Chickpeas are so easy to roast: drain and rinse a can of chickpeas in cold water, pour onto a clean tea towel and dry off as much of the moisture as possible, pour into a bowl, add a splash of olive oil and a half a teaspoon of each of the following: cayenne pepper, oregano, celery salt and garlic granules (this is my favourite mix, but you can experiment with any flavours you like really), and mix well, pour onto a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes at about 220, and then leave for 5 minutes or so to cool.