- Missing the end of summer because you were so busy in September that it’s suddenly October and frigid.
- Mourning the short tomato season in the East Coast, which was pretty medicare in 2015 anyway
- Having no excuse (like bathing suit season) to cut back on the pasta intake.
- Trying to keep summer alive and picking up tomatoes from your local farmer’s market and biting into them finding them TERRIBLE.
Keeping those things in mind: the 2 days of cold that has made me completely forget the heat of summer, how I want tomatoes forever so I picked up a good-looking medley only to find them TERRIBLE and having no reason not to gorge on Pasta, I decided to make my favorite new recipe that was introduced to me from The Splendid Table, served as an ad on Facebook because somehow Mark Zuckerberg knows that any Pasta/Tomato/Cheese combo is my downfall.
This is the perfect recipe for two, so you better make it for date night. You know, if you’ve been in a relationship for a long time and have the kind of dates where you eat rich buttery, garlic pasta around each other before ending the night on the couch, binge watching your favorite show together.
This is the SIMPLEST Dish. And the trick is: Don’t touch the Gnocchi!
Start with al dente gnocchi (I cook mine for just 5 minutes, but read your packaging and go with the minimum cook time recommended) and pour it into a hot pan bubbling with butter and oil.
I am always stirring my food, but in this case, you WANT the gnocchi to brown on the bottoms. So once you start browning those little buggers in the oil, let them sit. I only touch mine once. It kills me.
I love The Splendid Table. It’s better to me than any TV cooking show. But in this recipe’s case, they forgot a key ingredient: GARLIC. I actually forgot it last night too, so I added it in after the gnocchi and tomatoes were cooking, but ideally you get the garlic going in the oil BEFORE you add the pasta and tomatoes. You know what else you could add? SHALLOTS. I could marry a good shallot.
After 5 minutes of letting the gnocchi brown, start to turn them. if they’re not brown, don’t turn them yet. You want a nice crisp on the outside. Once you have them all turned, let them sit— and tear mozzarella into pieces and throw it up top. DON’T CUT IT. This isn’t baking. Tear up pieces and get your hands mushy. and EAT some cheese while you’re at it.
Once you feel like the other sides are browned, turn off the heat. This is when you can get creative. The recipe just calls for Salt and Pepper and fresh torn basil. It’s the beginning of Fall, I’m SURE you have a full basil bush as big as mine that’s going to die in a few weeks. Go get a bunch of that and add the S&P.
Once I move the dish to the plate, I like to add red pepper flakes since the American pallet can’t live without spice these days and grate Parmigiano-Reggiano because CHEESE.
Then I settle in with my date and enjoy our time together.
Oh, did I somehow make you think I was talking about something or someone other than a fictional character on TV? (In this case, Poldark)
Fried Gnocchi with Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Adapted from The Splendid Table
- 8 oz gnocchi (I use 1/2 16 oz bag of frozen ricotta gnocchi. You can also use vacuum-packed)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 TBSP butter
- 2 gloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
- a few handfuls cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 ball mozzarella cheese (or 10ish small balls), torn
- handful basil leaves, torn
- sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flakes (optional), parmigiano-reggiano (optional but you crazy if you don’t)
Make it
Add the gnocchi to a pan of boiling salted water and cook according to the instructions (a few minutes).
Fish out when cooked and drain. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter in a large, non-stick frying pan. (I prefer cast iron)
When the oil is hot, add your garlic until aromatic (30 seconds to 1 minute) Optional: add shallots at the same time
Add in the gnocchi (be careful, the oil will spit) and the tomatoes. Walk away. Pour yourself wine. Let them sit.
After about 5 minutes, check that the gnocchi have browned on one side and turn them. Once they are turned, add in ripped-up pieces of mozzarella.
Let them sit for a few more minutes. Check that the bottoms are browned. Once the gnocchi are finished, turn off the heat.
Tear the basil leaves over everything and season with salt and black pepper and optional red pepper flakes and cheese!
Make this tonight and report back please!!!! It’s SO SO good!
