Gnocchi in a cheese sauce? How could you possibly say no to that? You can’t, you’ll just have to make this. It’s a lighter version of a cheese sauce of course because you’re on this website. But it tastes super indulgent and you can use any gnocchi you like.
The sauce is made lighter by using a mixture of mil and stock and by usin a sharp flavoursome cheese. The more flavoursome the cheese the less you actually need of it so get something a little funky. I used a hard goats cheese and it was so lovely but you could use a sharp aged cheddar or a tallegio cheese instead.
The cauliflower gets finely sliced and fried off so it has a little colour and is small enough that you get some in every bite of gnocchi. I also toast the gnocchi in the pan a little too so that it has some golden bits on it because you know how much I like some texture.
So basically everything gets cooked first in batches and then you throw it all together in a pan at the end and coat qith just enough sauce and tah – dah you have a super yummy dinner. I also add a pecan and parsley crumb because it’s a delight.
If you have leftovers scoop them into a baking dish and bake in the oven the next day so you have a gnocchi bake and it feels like a whole different meal!
Serves 4
Ingredients
500g gnocchi
1.5 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 cups sliced cavolo nero or tuscan kale
1/2 cauliflower, finely sliced (2mm max thickness) and broken into bite sized pieces
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbs flour
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup hard goats cheese, grated
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 Tbs finely chopped toasted pecans
2 Tbs finely chopped parsley
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add gnocchi and cook according to directions. Toss drained gnocchi in 1/2 Tbs of oil.
Put a large non stick pan on medium high heat. Once hot add gnocchi and cook until one side has got a little colour. Toss and cook for a further minute, then remove from the pan. You may need to do this in batches.
Add 1/2 a tbs of remaining oil to the pan and then add the kale cooking for a few minutes until softened. Remove from pan.
Add another 1/2 tbs of oil and add the cauliflower and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until the cauliflower has started to get golden in places. Add 1/3 cup of hot water and stir, continue to cook until the water has evaporated and cauliflower is tender.
Meanwhile, put the 2 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil in a small heavy based saucepan along with the flour. Whisk over medium heat until thickened. Combine the milk with 1.5 cups of hot water and add to the oil and flour moisture in a slow steady stream. Stopping to whisk and combine as you go. Simmer the Sauce for a few minutes to thicken then add the cheese and pepper. Stir to melt the cheese. Take off the heat.
Add gnocchi and kale back to the pan and toss with the cauliflower. Add 3 laddles of the sauce to the pan and toss to coat. There should be just enough sauce to coat everything but not be a gluggy mess.
To serve, divide the gnocchi between bowls and top with another generous drizzle of the goats cheese sauce. Top with a sprinkle of toasted pecans and parsley and dig in.
HH. x
