We share with you our recipes, reviews, tips and thoughts on building a happy home together through food.
After a couple of years of turning to the ubiquitous boxed pasta’s whenever we wanted a quick and cheap Italian meal, lately the wife and I have begun experimenting with some fresh pasta. It all started when I spotted some fresh tagliatelle on sale at the local grocers; once we tasted the true deliciousness of the fresh pasta, it became near impossible to go back to the regular old Barillas! There is something homey and old-worldey about a bowl of fresh pasta tossed in a quick home-made sauce (what, you think we do Ragu?!) and mixed in with some veggies and meats to make it a full meal.
We try to pick up whatever fresh pasta’s are available every few weeks at C-Town or Whole Foods, and yes we shop at both ends of the supermarket spectrum! Last week wifey spotted a packet of potato gnocchi and there was no going back – pasta and potatoes being two of her favorite foods. We made a quick cream sauce, tossed in some onions and fresh red bell peppers, topped it off with some bacon (only on my bowl, ofcourse) and had ourselves a nice hot bowl of pillowy little potato balls.
Now, a word about the Alfredo sauce. It wasn’t a true alfredo in the classical sense of the term – the legend being that the sauce invented by Alfredo di Lelio at his Roma restaurant contained only butter and Parmesan cheese. Instead of the butter, we softened up the veggies in olive oil and added in cream along with the cheese to get that rich velvety texture.
The cream may have overpowered the delicate gnocchi a bit, but it was still a comforting meal on a cold December night. We may stick to a pure butter/cheese sauce next time to get at the heart of the gnocchi flavor a little more when we try this next. The red peppers, soften just lightly so as to leave a little crisp on them, contrasted with the chewy gnocchi perfectly, and brightened up the dish both in taste and in color. I couldn’t resist mixing in a little crumbled bacon for a salty kick also – it wasn’t pancetta, but we weren’t in Rome, after all!
THE RECIPE: GNOCCHI ALFREDO WITH RED PEPPERS
YOU’LL NEED
- 1lb fresh gnocchi
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced medium
- 1 large white onion, sliced medium
- 1/2 pint heavy cream
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the good stuff, not Kraft!) for the suace + 1/4 cup to sprinkle over pasta, if desired
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 slices bacon (if desired)
- 1tsp Salt, 1 tsp pepper, and more as per taste + 2tbsp salt for pasta water
THE METHOD:
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the oil till shimmering.
- Add in onions and cook on medium-low heat for 3 mins
- Add in red pepper and salt, and continue cooking for another 5 mins till pepper is soft but not fully tender
- Meanwhile, bring water to boiling in your pasta pot as instructed on the pasta packet, usually 4 quarts water for 1lb.
- Once boiling, add in the 2tbsp salt to season the water, and add in pasta. Cook 2-3 mins per packet instructions.
- Add in cream and 1cup cheese to the saucepan with vegetables, and bring to boil.
- Immediately turn heat to low, and simmer for 3 mins till sauce thickens to your liking. Remove from heat
- Drain pasta when done cooking, add immediately to the saucepan with the sauce and mix; you can mix in a separate bowl if more convenient.
- If using bacon, microwave for 2 mins between paper towel sheets, and crumble onto the pasta and mix.
- Sprinkle pasta with leftover 1/4cup cheese and enjoy!
Pillowy potato balls!