Gnocchi with carrot-rosemary sauce

It’s heating up again. The temperatures are rising. I didn’t benefit too much from it today, a day spent at the office with no view to the outside world, typing away on the keyboard. Must have done that several million times on certain keys, because the writing on them starts to disappear (it's from a certain standard for Ergonomics of Keyboards: a key is supposed to endure 5 million times typing on it before abrading). In other words, it was again a busy day at work.

What does it mean? Coming home and having a quick meal? Eating out? Ordering something? Warming up leftovers? Many options indeed.

In fact there were some leftovers in the fridge. For example in one corner, some baked potatoes were lingering. There came an idea up in me. Some days ago I read something about making gnocchi in the book “Cook with Jamie”. Easy thing to make gnocchi. I have never tried it before, though.

First of all I had to get rid of the skin of the potatoes and mash them up and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. The recipe stated to add a medium sized egg yolk. Wasn’t there some leftover egg yolk in the fridge as well? No, only leftover egg white. I added another one to that to get my egg yolk. To finish off the gnocchi dough some flour is needed. Depending on the amount of potatoes you need one or two handful (two, if you are using 8 medium sized potatoes). I didn’t have so many potatoes, so I just put in some flour and kneaded until I got a nice dough (or as I have read lately somewhere: until it looks “doughy” - Signe Johansen).

The “doughy” dough gets rolled out until it looks like a sausage and then you can cut it in 2,5 cm pieces. Those go to rest on a bed of semolina flour in the fridge.

Well, here we would have some nice gnocchi. However, what goes with it?

I must admit, they look larger then they should be

Ingredients:

250 g of bought or rather self made gnocchi

100 g  Bacon (or just take more if you want to)

3 large carrots (or more smaller ones)

1 shallot

100g of Crème fraîche or double cream

1 lime

A few sprigs of rosemary

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Some Parmesan (if you like)

Method:

To start off the sauce heat up a pan on high heat and add some olive oil. The bacon joins the oil at first. Meanwhile you can cut the carrots into thin slices. Take yourself some time to do it. No need to rush. If it takes longer, the bacon gets more golden and crispy. On the other hand, if you take too long, it will get black. That we don’t want to achieve. The carrots go to the pan, when you are ready. Then go for the shallot. Slice it thinly. If you don’t manage so thin, no worries. Add them to the pan and reduce the heat. Throw in the rosemary leaves. That smells nicely.

Now is the time to get your water for the gnocchi boiling. Once the water is ready you can add the Crème fraîche to the pan and the gnocchi to the water. After 4 minutes they should be ready. I didn’t watch the time, though. They are also ready, when they start floating in the water. Before that happens, squeeze your lime to the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

You have to see for yourself in which direction you want to have the taste. Accordingly you have to adjust the seasoning. Maybe you are also happy with half a lime. Best to try it first.

When the time has come and the gnocchi are asking to be removed from the water – they are floating – carefully do that and add to the sauce. Mix it and plate up. Grate some Parmesan cheese on top if you want to and dig in.

Did it taste nice? I was thinking about something that Jamie Oliver usually says, about certain ingredients loving each other and being good friends or mates. I thought carrots and rosemary are good friends, if I remember right. I was satisfied with that.

Additionally, I would be ready for a holiday. Maybe I don't have to wait too long for it ... 

Now I found this Blog Challenge on the net:

 

Well, I thought, I could take part and use the above recipe. Now really the time is coming up to get some fresh herbs again from the garden. The windowsills, however, are already getting overcrowded...