Pan Seared, Carmelized Gnocchi with Cherry Tomatoes

 I never cooked with gnocchi until Pinterest came along and taught me how to use it. Im sure it's even better if you make it from scratch, but we know I'm all about fast weeknight meals, so I always use the boxed kind. When I started seeing ideas pop up to "brown" the gnocchi instead of boiling it the traditional way, I was intrigued.  This was my first experiment with it and we LOVED it. I used this recipe I found on Pinterest as a base, then tried to healthy it up a little bit and added a few things. It was delicious and filling. 

 

 

Caramelized Gnocchi With Pan-seared Cherry Tomatoes

• 16 ounces cherry tomatoes (2 pints), halved
• 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, chopped (plus extra basil for garnish)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves of fresh garlic, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 lb. gnocchi
• 1 12 or 16-oz tub marinated baby mozzarella, drained (but reserve one tablespoon of the marinated oil)
• fresh basil, to garnish
• shaved parmesan (about a tablespoon for each serving)
• (heads up you need 2 non stick skillets for this)

1. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and sauté until it starts to brown, about 1 minute. Add the halved tomatoes  and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add basil, and salt and pepper.
3. Heat until its bubbly, then turn the heat all the way down to low and let simmer.
4. In another skillet,  heat butter and the oil reserved from your marinated mozzarella. When the butter is melted and the oil is hot, add all the gnocchi. Stir with a wooden spoon to cover them with oil, then spread them out evenly in one layer. Season with salt and pepper. Let brown for 5 minutes and don't stir. You want the gnocchi to caramelize. After Use a wooden spoon or spatula to flip each gnocchi to brown the other side. Cook for another 3-5 minutes until browned. Remove from heat.
5. Turn off the burner with the tomatoes. Add the drained mozzarella balls and stir. You want to heat up the mozzarella without melting completely.
6. Add gnocchi to the pan with the tomatoes.
7. Serve with chopped basil and grated Parmesan on top.

**It's a 3 on Bryce's Dish scale. 2 skillets but only a cutting board an knife.
**Makes 4 servings.

 

A New Grain to Try: Bulgur with corn, tomatoes, basil and BACON

This was my first time using Bulgur. and I loved it. I found it in Cooking Light and it is a great grain to use as a base for a lot of different things. The texture is thicker than a Quinoa, but it's more substantial and has a flavor all it's own. This recipe below is the perfect end of summer meal to use the last of the good corn and tomatoes. It's simple, light and refreshing but good enough for a main dish. I beefed it up a little since I knew we would be doing it as a main.

Bulgur Salad with Corn, Tomatoes and Bacon

 

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup cracked bulgur wheat
• 3/4 cup basil leaves, Plus a few more torn for toppings
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 5 oz  halved cherry(or grape) tomatoes
• 2 ears fresh corn kernels, cut off the cobb
• 1/2 of one small red onion very thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 3 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

1. Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan.
2. Combine the boiling water and bulgur in a mixing bowl. Let mixture stand, covered, 25 minutes or until all water is absorbed.
3. While that soaks - Soak your onions in cold water for 10 minutes, drain after
4. Place the basil, oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a blender (I use the magic bullet); process until pureed.
5. Use a fork to fluff the bulgur. Add the dressing, tomatoes, corn, onion, and pine nuts to the grains; toss to combine. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon and more basil on top.

**Makes 4 main servings
**It's 3 on Bryce's dish scale. Magic Bullet, pan, bowl, cutting board/knife.

Lemony-Garlicky-Broccoli Caper Pasta

This is a great recipe I found in Cooking Light. They have it as one of their "Make once, eat three ways thing" but I couldn't eat any of the other 2 because of allergies, so I turned this into a "Make 4 servings" meal instead. I purposely didn't put what I think makes it so good in the title, because it might turn some people away, but trust me, the anchovy adds the perfect salty taste to this dish that I don't think you could get any other way. As the article said - they just melt right into the oil and make a delicious meal. And it's healthy too!

 

Whole Grain Spaghetti With Lemon Caper Broccoli

• 4 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 16 ounces uncooked whole-grain spaghetti
• 5 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided    
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 5 anchovy fillets, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
• 1 tablespoon chopped capers, drained
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add broccoli; cook 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove broccoli from pan with a slotted spoon; set aside. Return water to a boil. Add pasta to pan; cook according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
2. Place 1/4 cup oil, garlic, and anchovies in a large skillet. Sauté over medium heat for 3 minutes or until garlic is golden brown and anchovies have melted into the oil, stirring often. Add crushed red pepper to pan; cook 30 seconds. Carefully add reserved 1/2 cup cooking liquid to pan. Add pasta; toss to coat. Stir in parsley, 1 1/2 teaspoons juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup of parmesan.
3. Combine remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, remaining 2 tablespoon juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, shallots, capers, and black pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle oil mixture over broccoli florets. Serve with pasta mixture. Top with remaining parmesan.

***Serves 4

***3 on Bryce's dish scale. Pot, Skillet, bowl to mix, cutting board and knife.