Gnocchi Carbonara
This is a cheating
recipe, for those times when you cannot be bothered, or dont have time, to
make everything from scratch. To start with, all you need is to quickly whiz
round to the Italian ready meals section, then to the dairy and cheese aisle
and finally the Continental meat section. Just five
ingredients or seven, if you want to grab some tomatoes and basil for an
accompanying salad.
Serves : 4
Ingredients:
1 x 500g
Pack Gnocchi Di Patate
1 x 300g Tub
Fresh Carbonara Sauce
1 x 130g Pack Pancetti Cubetti
2oz / 50g Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano)
5oz / 150g Mozzarella
Salt and Freshly
Milled Black Pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat
the grill to its highest setting, then put the
kettle on to boil.
- Next,
heat a medium frying pan (without any oil) and tip the pancetta straight
into the pan when it's really hot.
- Turn
the heat down to medium and the pancetta
will cook in its own fat all you need to do is move it and toss it
around now and then. It should take 5 6 minutes to turn golden and
release all its fat.
- Meanwhile,
pour the boiling water into a medium saucepan, add the gnocchi, along with
a little salt,
and when it has returned to the boil give it 3 minutes.
- In
the meantime, empty the sauce into a small saucepan, add some freshly
milled black pepper
and bring it up to a gentle simmer, and while that's happening, grate the Parmesan and
chop the Mozzarella
into small cubes.
- Next,
drain the gnocchi and tip them straight into the buttered dish, followed
by the Mozzarella
and fried pancetta
(you will need a draining spoon for the latter).
- Quickly
mix it all together, then pour the sauce over as
evenly as possible.
- Finally,
sprinkle the Parmesan
over the top, place the dish under the hot grill (about 3 in / 7.5cm from
the heat) and let it stay there for 6 10 minutes, or until it's golden
brown and bubbling.
- Let
it rest for about 5 minutes before serving on hot plates.
- A
side salad of sliced tomatoes and
torn basil leaves
sprinkled with a little extra virgin olive oil and
even less balsamic
vinegar would be just the right accompaniment.
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