Aug 26

Aug 26 Saffron gnocchi with courgette

An oldie but a goodie for sure! This recipe was one of the first I veganized for my first cookbook ‘Veganista’ and has become a real staple. These gnocchi where, believe or not, my childhood favorite, only they were made with shrimp too. My mom used to have this dish on the suggestion menu at her restaurant ‘The Gallo Nero’ back in the days and when I came home from school she would have a big plate of these saffron gnocchi ready for me. The perfect after school dinner. Since then I fell in love with saffron. I know not everyone is a fan of this spice but believe me the combination with soft, pillowy gnocchi and courgette is to die for!

These gnocchi are fairly easy to whip up and make it a perfect weeknight dinner. You could also make the sauce in advance to use later on.

First you fry the courgette on high heat in lots of olive until al dente and golden, season with salt, pepper and half of the garlic and parsley. Set this aside and in the same pan add more olive oil, garlic and parsley, this time fry on low heat to bring out all of the flavors. Deglaze with white wine then adding veggie stock, saffron and cream. Only thing you have to do now is let it cook down a little while you cook the gnocchi.

Combine the fried courgettes, gnocchi and sauce and voila, a delicious, easy and nourishing dinner.

Recipe

This recipe serves 2 people

Ingredients

400-600 gr of gnocchi, storebought or homemade
60 ml of white wine
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tbs of flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 large courgette, sliced lengthwise in 4, deseeded and chopped into cubes
250 ml of plantbased cooking cream, unsweetened
60 ml of vegetable stock
olive oil, as much as needed
2 grams of saffron powder

How to

Start by heating up 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over high heat.
Once hot add the chopped courgette and panfry until soft, but still with a good bite and golden.
Season with salt, pepper, half of the minced garlic and parsley, stir and set aside.
In the same pan add a few more tablespoons of olive oil and the other half of the garlic and parsley. Fry for a few minutes on low heat.
Turn up the heat and deglaze with the wine. Leave to simmer so the alcohol can evaporate.
Add the stock, saffron and cream. Season to taste and leave to simmer until the sauce thickens up a bit.
Meanwhile cook the gnocchi in salted boiling water, once they float they are ready.
Remove them from the water (reserve a cup or two of the water to thin out the sauce if necessary) and add the gnocchi to the sauce along with the panfried courgettes.
Stir and let it heat through. Serve with some more fresh parsley on top and a crack of black pepper.
Buon apetito!