Gnocchi + carbonara sauce

Post-Disney there wasn't a ton of food in the house, so this dinner came about as sort of a pantry/fridge dump.

This is also only the second time I've used gnocchi, and I severely under-salted the water. I also forgot to set aside 1 cup of "pasta" water before draining the gnocchi for the sauce. *sigh*

Anyway, I went with a garlicky "pseudo" carbonara sauce, spinach, tomatoes, bacon and artichoke hearts. Turned out pretty well for an on the fly meal, and it's made up of mostly staples, so give it a try for your next last-minute dinner.

Garlicky Gnocchi Carbonara
1 lb gnocchi (I used the ones from Trader Joes)
1 package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess liquid
3 to 6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 package frozen artichoke hearts (you could also use canned - drain & rinse them)
1 small can diced tomatoes, rinsed and drained
4-6 slices of bacon or pancetta, chopped
1/3 c white wine (if you have it on hand, you can sub 1/4 c olive oil)
1/2 to 1 tsp red chili flakes
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
3/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
lots of freshly cracked pepper


* Bring a pot of well salted water to a boil, and cook gnocchi one minute less than directed on the package. They will continue cooking a little in the sauce.

* In a skillet, fry the bacon to your liking (not too crisp), then lower heat and add garlic, red chili flakes and artichoke hearts

* When the artichokes are softened, pour in the wine (if using) and scrape any brownings off the bottom of the pan. Mix in the tomatoes and spinach.

* In a separate bowl, beat the eggs then temper with 1/2 c of the gnocchi water. Mix in the cheese.

* Remove the skillet from heat, and mix the gnocchi with the wine and bacon sauce. Pour the egg and cheese mixture on top, and combine. Top with lots of freshly cracked pepper, and parsley if you have it.

Dreaming? of my last meal in Disney World at Teppan Edo in "Japan"

Three excellent new discoveries

So, I haven't used any of those other ingredients yet, but I tried some new things this week. 

First, shrimp was super cheap at the H-Mart, but I bought too much, and needed to use up the ones left over from the bok-choy dish. Easy: quick boiled these in some salted water and mixed up a quick sauce. 

Equal parts low-fat mayo, sriracha sauce, and horseradish (not the super strong prepared stuff in little jars, I used a sandwich spread). Delicious. No need to keep ketchup in the house for this one! 

Next, I finally learned how to fry tofu without having it all fall to pieces. I used the wok instead of a frying pan, which helped.

Slice firm tofu into 1 inch pieces, dredge in flour or pancake mix (I used some Korean pancake mix I had purchased a while back for making pajun - spring onion pancakes). Fry in small batches in about 1-2 inches oil over medium high heat.
Remove with a slotted spoon, salt if desired while still hot, drain on a paper towel.
These ones went into an amazing red curry (more on that later)

Finally, I took a trip to the Trader Joes near my office, and was able to pick up two things: frozen artichokes (which I can NEVER find anywhere else) and potato gnocchi.

Having never made gnocchi before this is what I came up with:
Boil 1 package gnocchi in salted water, then drain. Keep warm.
Saute 2-3 cloves garlic in olive oil, then add 3/4 package frozen artichokes. When artichokes have softened, add 1 large can of diced tomatoes (drained), 1 c chicken broth (or 1/2 broth, 1/2 white wine), and 2 large handfuls of baby spinach.
Stir in 2-4 TBS cream (optional) and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and shredded basil.