Hi, this recipe is from Tesco's free in store magazine, October 2022 issue, pg29 in their Halloween food special section. Alternatively, find online here. The chicken wings are supposed to be Halloween Devil's Wings, but they didn't turn out as red as I would've liked.
The swamp gnocchi sauce was really nice. I particularly enjoyed the basil in it as it made it taste really fresh and reminded me of green pesto. Also, it was really easy to make and I could use frozen peas, frozen spinach and, I think you can buy frozen basil (though I used fresh) too, so you can make this all year round, without worrying about seasonality. Although, you may not want to call it spooky swamp gnocchi if you do!
My family all liked the sauce though would've preferred a bit less of it, or with more black pepper in it. So, I would suggest serving it on the side (see Devil Chicken Wings post) first and they can decide how much to add and whether or not to turn it into a swamp.
This dish would also make a really nice lunch, hot (in a flask if you're at work) or cold (in a lunch box), if you wanted to make extra, or have leftover sauce that needs using up. You could serve it with rice or other pasta shapes as well, if you like.
Enjoy!
Hazel :)
***
***
Dietary Info:
-Vegetarian
-Unsuitable for Vegans
{In place of the single cream, you could use some coconut milk, but this would alter the flavour a bit, although not much. Or use some plant-based milk-alternatives like almond or soya, or use some dairy-free natural yogurt. For the pecorino, sprinkle in some nutritional yeast or some marmite for the salty flavour. Or use a plant-based cheese-alternative that you prefer. See 'Contains Gluten' for the gnocchi.}
-No Nuts
-Contains Gluten
{You can either make or buy gluten-free gnocchi, but this may be a bit difficult. So I would suggest either serving with rice (you could have a really cool swamp risotto-type dish) or with some pulse-based pasta. For the garlic bread, I would suggest serving with garlic mushrooms and some gluten-free crusty bread, or melting the garlic butter onto some boiled potatoes.}
-Contains Dairy
{See 'Unsuitable for Vegans.'}
-Main Meal
{If serving between 2 with the garlic bread.}
-Side Dish
{If serving with something else, e.g. chicken wings.}
Serves: 2 as a main, 4 as a side
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Ingredients:
-20g sunflower seeds {We didn't have any of these so I left them out.}
-150g frozen peas
-250g spinach {I used a mixture of fresh and frozen spinach. I cooked the frozen spinach with the peas for 3 mins, then wilted the fresh for 1 min as suggested.}
-30g pack fresh basil, mint or parsley {I used basil and it was very nice. At first I was sceptical because it looked like a lot of herbs, but actually it was fine. Also, I added the stems too.}
-1/2 lemon, zested, 1/4 juiced
-75ml single cream {I used 1 tbsp double cream.}
-30g pecorino, plus extra to serve (optional) {I served with cheddar cheese.}
-500g pack gnocchi {I used a 500g pack of gnocchi, but if you're feeling up to it, you could make your own here!}
-garlic bread, to serve (optional) {I didn't serve with garlic bread as the gnocchi was my side, but I do think garlic bread would've been nice with it. Or just some garlic flavour: drizzle over garlic olive oil or blend in a clove or too to banish the Halloween vampires!}
Method:
1: Put the sunflower seeds in a food processor and blitz until partially broken down. Boil the peas for 3 mins and steam the spinach for 1 min. Drain, {I placed the colander into a larger saucepan so that when I drained the veg, I caught the hot water in the larger pan and I could reuse it for the gnocchi.} rinse with cold water to cool, {I didn't bother rinsing with cold water, it's not needed as you will be heating up the sauce later and will then have to use more energy to heat it up if its starting temperature is colder.} then drain really well. Set aside half the spinach and peas to stir through later.
2: Use your hands to squeeze excess water out of the remaining veg, {I didn't bother with this as the sauce will be quite thick anyway, so you will want the extra liquid to make it runnier.} then transfer to the food processor. Add the herbs, lemon zest and juice, and blend to finely chop, then add the cream and blend again until you have a bright green sauce. {Be careful here - I got quite a few green splatters on the wall.} Pulse through the cheese and season to taste. {My Dad particularly liked adding black pepper to the sauce, he said it tasted much nicer.}
3: Cook the gnocchi to pack instructions. Drain, reserving 4 tbsp of the pasta water, {I just reserved a mugful: dip a mug into the pan before draining and keep to one side, incase I needed a bit more and I did.} then return the gnocchi to the pan and toss with the sauce and the reserved cooking water to loosen. {I would serve separately, especially if you have kids because there's a chance they won't like it.} Gently stir through the reserved green veg. Serve with extra pecorino and garlic bread, if you like. {Or with Jerk Devil's Wings.}
While you're here...
I have a Pinterest for all my recipes, where you can save them to boards for the future and categorise them into different types of recipe e.g Sunday Dinners, picnic ideas etc. My account is @hazellikestocook, or find the link below. Also, I have a whole blog post explaining this in more detail here and https://hazelscookingandbakingblog.blogspot.com/2021/02/pinterest.html.
https://pin.it/5xDvARk - my profile
This recipe:
https://pin.it/YmBWjK2
Comments
Post a Comment