Food I fancy, but am clueless about... Gnocchi...

[Pishwife]

It looks like a cheap and easy staple, but I can't find a nice way to serve it.

Ditto polenta. Any tips?

Feel free to share your "WTF do I do with this" foods and maybe someone will come along with an idea for you...

Marking my place! I always fancy gnocchi but I am never quite sure what t do with it....

With polenta sometimes I put it on the top of shepherds Pie and the like instead of mash potato.
I like it grilled with cheese on as well.
Ds likes it sliced thinly and fried.
Or I use it as a pizza base and pput different toppings on.

With gnoochi I often use a tomato sauce.

have a look on BBC receipes or veggie receipies. There are loads of suggestions.

I'll have a think and come back later of other things I make. I've gone blank atm!!

If you're not making your own gnocchi make sure it's at least 70% potato. Have gone off them since scary sea creature experience in Naples which is a shame because they're so quick and easy. Serve with any of your favourite pasta sauces. And you can bake them.

Have never got hang of polenta and the ready made stuff is not nice.

Mmm good polenta tips!

I've just served gnocchi with some cubed ham, pesto, petit pois & basil and a bit of black pepper. It's a big stodgy, but tasty, easy and only cost about £2.50 for 4 servings (bless you Aldi)

Oh dear what happened in Naples? Will I be sorry that I asked..?

it's only scary if you're scared of sea monsters creatures sitting on your food!

here is nice thing to do with gnocchi - while they are cooking (bring water to boil in big pan, put in a few at a time, cook for couple of mins, ready when floating) melt butter in frying pan, cook wild mixed mushrooms for couple of minutes, add some finely sliced fresh sage, season then add the cooked gnocchi and mix together. Drizzle with truffle oil and add some freshly grated Parmesan.

Phwoar that sounds good (recipe not monster)

Just use it like a pasta. It's great with bolognaise.
I also have a recipe for it with bacon lardons, chives, lemon and creme fraiche which is delicious.

I sometimes have gnocchi as a last minute scrabble around meal. Have it with cheese sauce and spinach/kale/nettles

Ooh, they sound yummy, too. Thanks.

You can shallow fry them, put a little bit of oil in a pan and chuck them in. They go all crunchy on the outside and are still soft inside.

We have gnocchi regularly at our house. The kids love it with pesto and a spoon of fromage frais.

I'm going to try Mitchie's recipe though, sounds yum. I had something similar in a restaurant last week, but with langoustines rather than mushrooms and it was delicious.

Gnocchi with pesto and toasted pine nuts is nice. So is a tomato and mascarpone sauce, easy to make too. Nice with a side of garlic bread, or a rocket salad with parmesan shavings and balsamic vinegar. Yum, I'm hungry now!

I normally just use plain tomato sauce. Are you making your own? I always find shopbought gnocchi to be just too big and stuffy.

Sometimes I cook a bit of onion and garlic, add broccoli, currants and some of the gnocchi cooking water, blast cook until till the water evaporates and just stir in the gnocchi.

I made gnocchi for dinner yesterday.

fry pancetta, chestnut mushrooms, crushed garlic and double cream in a pan, once the sauce has thickened add the cooked gnocchi to the sauce and serve. Sprinkle a little basil over the top.

It can be a bit stodgy but tastes beautiful.

You know when gnocchi is cooked when it floats to the top of the pan :)

Applehead, thats what i do too, they are delicious

Delia does a nice 4 cheese gnocchi bake. Heart Attack in an oven proof dish.

Cook gnocchi and tender stem broccoli for 3 mins then mix with cooked chicken and pesto - bung in oven dish and add a few chunks of emmenthal cheese over the top - shove in oven at 180 for about 20 mins. Totally yummy. Kids go mad for it.

Also agree about shallow frying - nigella did it and last winter it was emergency chip substitute!

I put gnocchi in my cassaroles (instead of dumplings) it brings it up to date abit for the kids

We normally have it with pesto and cherry tomatoe, sometimes with olives and pine nuts too. Love the sound of the broccoli and cheese dish though, yum! Gnocchi is my 3yo's absolute favourite food she would eat it every day if she could.

Treat it like pasta. It's nice with just green pesto, to be honest.

Its good with bolognese (sp?) mix it together with the gnocchi put some cheese on top and bake until it looks gorgeous. Great winter comfort food without being too bad for you either.

we do it with a creamy, cheesy sauce with brocolli and bacon, or tuna and sweetcorn. Or pesto and chicken. Anything you can do with pasta, you can do with gnocchi. I do find it very stodgy though.

I made it myself the other day it was bloody delicious and far nicer than the shop bought stuff. Very, very easy too.