One of Gemma's signature dishes, this gnocchi has the triple merits of being quick, easy and delicious. It has become one of our go-to weeknight staples. If you're feeling ambitious, you can make your own hand-rolled gnocchi for this, but the shop-bought stuff is pretty good and will save you time and effort. Likewise, you could go the extra mile and make your own pesto, which will improve the dish noticeably, but pesto from a jar will suffice. If you can't source pine nuts, you can substitute in cashews, which are almost as good, and optionally throw in some chopped chorizo at the end.

Gnocchi à la Gemma Recipe

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 500 g gnocchi
  • 20 g butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 200 g chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 large handfuls spinach
  • 100 g pesto
  • 2 slices pickled beetroot, roughly chopped
  • 2 tsp pine nuts
  • 80 g chorizo, chopped
  • balsamic glaze
  • sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Method

  1. Roast the pine nuts until lightly browned, either under a grill or in a dry frying pan. Set aside.

  2. Place a wide pan or casserole over a medium-high heat and add the butter. When the butter is foaming, add the gnocchi and fry, stirring occasionally, until golden.

  3. Whilst the gnocchi is cooking, place another pan over a high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chopped mushrooms along with a two-finger pinch of salt. Fry for 2 minutes, then add the garlic. Turn the heat to medium, and continue to cook until most of the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Add the spinach, along with a pinch of salt, and continue to cook until the spinach is wilted and any liquid has evaporated from the pan.

  4. Add the fried gnocchi and the pesto to the pan with the mushrooms. Taste, and add more salt if you think it needs it. Add a little cracked black pepper. Stir well, then add the chorizo (if using). Place the pan over a medium-low heat and gently heat through to ensure everything is nice and hot.

  5. Divide into bowls, garnish with the chopped beetroot, roasted pine nuts and balsamic glaze, and eat immediately!