About 20 years ago, with friends, we were in Florence, near the station, with a disproportionate hunger and the anxiety of missing the last train to return to Genoa. We stumbled upon a small, very crowded trattoria, which offered a tourist menu consisting of a single dish: this one.
It was love right away. And, for simplicity and delight, it became one of my workhorses, especially since I’ve been in Malta and I happen, every now and then, to invite some beautiful girls to lunch and cook for them. (I’m Italian, what else?)
- DifficultyEasy
- CostCheap
- Preparation time10 Minutes
- Serving2
- Cooking methodInstant pot
- CuisineItalian
- SeasonalityEvergreen
Ingredients
Gnocchi / Gorgonzola piccante / shelled walnuts / chilli / rocket salad (fresh, washed and dried) / extravirgin oil / coarse salt
Tools
A normal pot for boiling the water and a large pan to cook the sauce.
Steps
Cut the gorgonzola into cubes and crumble the walnuts. Put the gorgonzola and walnuts in a large pan, adding a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of chilli pepper.
Turn on a low heat and let the contents melt in the pan, stirring occasionally with a wooden ladle until it melts into a creamy substance.
In the meantime, put the water in the pot, turn on the stove and, when the water boils, pour in first a handful of coarse salt, then the gnocchi. Jumbled up.
The gnocchi cook very quickly (about 2 minutes), so as soon as they come to the surface, after an appropriate taste, they must be drained and then poured into the pan.
Still in the pan, stir for a minute, then turn off the stove and add plenty of chopped rocket with your hands.
Remember: knives and steel spoons are strictly banned!
Other recipes suggest making the sauce with butter and cream, and make no mention of chili. Let’s say my tastes are different, but we leave it to end users the pleasure of judging the results.
Varied doses for servings