Gnocchi with broccoli pesto

Today I bring you a gorgeous green meal.  It is also quick to put together.  As I seem to spend my life looking for green meals and easy dinners, this is just my sort of dinner.  It suits all seasons but I liked it for the change of season because it has the bright colours and flavours of summer and the stodgy comfort of winter.  A meal of looking back and looking forward.

This was a meal to make after work when energy is low.  I blended the broccoli pesto in the a jug with a hand held blender.  This was quicker than the high speed blender but I also think it was preferable to have a bit of texture in the pesto.  I added lemon which weren't in the original recipe on taste.com.au because it needed brightening.

The first time we made the gnocchi was when there was no baby spinach in the supermarket.  I was shocked to find the refridgerated section with the packaged greens was empty.  The packaged spinach I was after had been recalled due to due to a contamination recall.  Fortunately this is a pretty flexible recipe.  We used edamame instead of the spinach.  (See above and below photos.)

The pesto was great no matter which vegies get used.  It is so good with the gnocchi.  With the broccoli I find it more substantial than most pesto.  I had lots of pesto left over both times.  It was great to add to stews and sandwiches but the broccoli meant it didn't last too long without that overwhelming brassica smell.  I think it could probably be frozen if you are not going to use it within days, but i have not tried it. 

The taste.com.au recipe called for mint in the pesto.  I really wanted to try it.  Mint grows like a weed in our garden.  It is one of the plants that seeds easily and can be found cosying up to other pot plants.  Unfortunately Sylvia does not like mint in her meals so it is hard to find an opportunity to use it.  Mint and peas go together so well that I hope to try this dish with mint some day.  She preferred the pesto with basil but it does not grow so abundantly in the garden nor is it great quality in the shops outside its season.  When we could not get basil, we made the pesto with parsley which grows well in our garden and is easy to buy in the shops.  There are many options.  I would also love to try this pesto with some nuts but I will need to do this when Sylvia is not about. 

This dish is so flexible.  As well as options for the pesto, there are many serving options.  We tried it with goats cheese and also with our favourite tofu bacon.  There are many options: parmesan, pinenuts, nutritional yeast flakes and fresh herbs.  And while I love all these, I really love how it looks with all that green vegies and herbs.  This is set to become one of our favourite recipes in regular rotation.

More gnocchi recipes on Green Gourmet Giraffe:

Baked gnocchi with radicchio, gorgonzola and walnuts
Beetroot Gnocchi with Pea Pesto
Cauliflower, zucchini and butter bean gnocchi
Gnocchi with Mexican corn (v)
Gnocchi with pesto and asparagus (v)
Panfried Gnocchi with Cauliflower and Peas
Truffle gnocchi (v)
Walnut and tomato pesto with gnocchi, broccoli and feta  

Gnocchi with broccoli pesto
Adapted from taste.com.au
Serves 4

500g potato gnocchi
1 cup (120g) frozen peas or edamame
60g baby spinach leaves

Broccoli pesto:

200g broccoli florets
1/3 cup (25g) finely grated parmesan
3 spring onions, sliced
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
1/2 cup basil, parsley or mint
juice of 1/2 a medium lemon
seasoning

Serving options: parmesan, goats cheese, tofu bacon

Make the broccoli pesto: Chop and cook the broccoli until al dente for about 1 min in the microwave.  Add remaining ingredients and blend.  I used a tall jug and a hand held blender.  Check seasoning.

Bring salted water to the boil in a large saucepan.  Add peas and gnocchi, cover and heat on high heat until the water boils.  Drain and mix with pesto.   Serve with parmesan, goats cheese or tofu bacon if desired.

On the Stereo:
Being the first female rabbi of Australia's largest Jewish congregation, featuring Jacki Ninio on Soul Search, ABC National radio podcast.