carbo loading part 1

Some serious training going on in this household. Ben plans to join the spandexed flock of MS150 riders this Saturday and Sunday, in a quixotic effort to raise money by biking from Houston all the way to Austin. Good Lord…please protect my husBen on this adventure.

I am doing my fair part in the training, making sure he is adequately carbo-loaded. That is the same as training, right?! Honestly, I have full confidence Ben will pull this off; he has an uncanny ability to be good at everything. 

Here’s a little number we started out with this week. A winner, a real winner.

Seared gnocchi with pea and leek pesto sauce

a dish to be proud of...

1 pound peas (I used frozen), save 1 handful for garnish


2 cups water


1/2 leek stalk, thinly sliced


3-4 sprigs of thyme


4 garlic cloves (drizzle in olive oil and roast in your oven at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes)

Salt


heavy cream to garnish


gnocchi
 (I used whole wheat)

Add peas, water, sliced leek and thyme to a large sauce pan. Bring the pea mixture to a boil and then immediately turn off the heat and let steep for 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove a small handful of peas (to use for garnish later). Carefully transfer the remaining peas/leeks/liquid to the jar of a blender, along with the roasted garlic, and blend until completely smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Salt the pea sauce to taste (I added about 1 teaspoon of salt). Blend the mixture once more and transfer it to a bowl.

To prepare gnocchi, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Drop the gnocchi in the water and cook them until they float to the top, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer the gnocchi to a bed of paper towels to dry.

Add about 1/4-inch of olive oil to a skillet. When the oil is very hot, add the gnocchi, being sure they don’t touch each other. Flash-fry the gnocchi until they’re lightly golden brown on both sides, flipping them every thirty seconds or so to ensure an even sear. Place the gnocchi on a bed of dry paper towels to drain. You may have to do this in batches until you have seared all the gnocchi.

To assemble the dish, add the pea sauce to a skillet and heat it until warm. Divide the pea sauce among the plates or bowls. Drizzle a small amount of heavy cream around one edge (I more so poured about a teaspoon of cream in one spot then drug it with a spoon in a crescent around the bowl). Arrange ten or so gnocchi onto each plate and garnish with the reserved peas. If you are serving with a protein, place it in the middle of the dish (I served it to husBen with some rib meat).  

Serves 4-6

Adapted slightly from http://acozykitchen.com