Courgette & Kale Gnocchi

I feel as though my gnocchi is getting further away from the traditional version every time I make it, and I'm well aware that this recipe might shock puritanical pasta lovers. But, surprisngly, this clean and green version of the well-loved pasta is nutty and delicious. The trick was in pureeing the greens to such a point that they were pretty much slush. 

Ingredients

1 x courgette, washed and sliced. 

1 handful of kale, washed well

1 free range egg

Approx 1 cup spelt flour

In a food processor, combine first the courgette and kale and blitz until a paste like consistency is achieved. Add the egg and half the flour and blitz. You want to form a dough only a little wetter than a pie pastry dough. Continue adding flour, a spoon at a time, until it comes together. 

Turn out onto a chopping board and knead for a moment, then wrap in gladwrap and refrigerate to firm (approx ten minutes). 

Remove from the fridge and section it - we did four sections. On a lightly floured work surface, and using your fingers, roll the dough into long snakes. Slice into one cm pieces. (Older kids can do this with a butter knife, under supervision.)

Meanwhile, set a pan of water to boil on the stove. Add the gnocchi and cook until it has begun to float to the surface of the water (five minutes-ish). 

For the kids, I heated a little olive oil and truffle oil and sauteed the boiled gnocchi with some grated cheese. Voila! Easy dinner, and doesn't it look vibrant? (For grown ups, I would have made a sauce with capers and anchovies, oil and garlic, to set off the nutiness of the gnocchi.)

Home made Pesto Pasta

I know it doesn't look it, but this pasta is a super quick and easy dinner for mid-week. The only downside is it makes a few pots and pans, and nobody likes doing dishes, right? Still, the domestic disturbance of dirty-dishes is definitely worth it for the taste of this super divine dinner. 

Ingredients: 

a handful of basil/parsley - I used what I could get from my garden. 

about 50 - 100g parmesan cheese, roughly chopped. 

a handful of Brazil nuts and walnuts

1/4 cup organic olive oil. 

a cup of dried pasta - I used organic penne. 

Optional 'serving suggestions' - a soft poached egg on top, and a balsamic reduction on the plate beneath. 

Get two pots of water boiling (if you're doing an egg - one for the pasta, one for the poaching biz). Onc eit comes to the boil, add the pasta to one pot, and to the other, a dash of white vinegar then let it come back to the boil. 

Meanwhile, in a food processor (if you have one, if not, I've made pesto by hand for years, just by either chopping finely or with a morta & pestle), combine the washed herbs, parmesan, and nuts, and blitz on high speed, whilst drizzling olive oil in. You might need to stop to scrape down the sides a couple of times to be sure you've incorporated all ingredients. 

Once the pasta is cooked according to packet instructions (usually about eight minutes) strain it and return to pot. Add the pesto, and stir until combined. 

Leave to cool a little whilst you do the eggie. 

Crack an egg or two into the rapidly boiling water then put the lid on. Once it's about to froth and bubble over, turn the heat off (remove from heat if using electric). Remove the egg from the water using a slotted spoon and serve on top of the pasta. 

As for a balsamic reduction - I love this for it's sweet/sour nature. When you put balsamic in a pan and add heat, it quickly thickens and reduces, courtesy of the natural sugar content. It will be piping hot pretty quickly so handle with care!

Kipfler Ravioli

Made from scratch, pasta is deceptively simple, even without a pasta maker. You just need patience and grit to roll it super flat- luckily, my three year old brings all the muscle I need. 

I boiled four small kipfler potatoes (skin on) until they were soft, added a third cup of cream and a pinch of salt then mashed until completely combined. Leave to cool. 

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine two cups of spelt flour with one whisked egg and around 2/3 cup of water until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a flat surface and knead with a little extra flour until it's a little elastic. 

Now comes the tough part. Roll it until it is so flat that you can almost see through it. 

Scoop a teaspoon full of the room temperature mash onto the pasta, spacing evenly, and then fold the other half of pasta over the top. I could only do three ravioli at a time on my chopping board, reserving leftover pasta as I went. 

Press down the seams using fingers or a fork and use a sharp knife to separate the ravioli. A sidebar. I have a ravioli press - a bit like an ice tray but for ravioli - and next time I would always prefer to use that. Only because these were a little too big for the kids (for grown ups, they're a perfect size). 

For the sauce, I sauteed half an onion (diced) in about 50g butter until translucent, then added 2/3 cup cream and 1/2 cup grated parmesan with a few shallots. I simmered until thickened. 

To cook the ravioli, boil a big pot of water with a dash of extra virgin olive oil and, once at boiling, add the ravioli and cook for a few minutes. Fish out gently, strain, then top with sauce and a few sprigs of rosemary. 

Mushroom Gnocchi GF, Vego

This is a pretty quick and easy way to make a gnocchi for dinner. And who doesn't love those soft little nuggets of delicious savoury-ness?

Ingredients: 

Two potatoes

Approx 1 cup Spelt Flour plus a little extra for kneading

1 egg, lightly whisked, 

1/3 cup milk

For the sauce

6 button mushrooms

150g butter

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1/3 cup verjuice

Peel and cube the potatoes and boil until soft. Drain in a colander and run cold water over them until they are cool to the touch. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the flour and milk, then egg, and whisk vigorously with a wooden spoon, bashing out lumps. It should be smooth and pale.

 Gradually incorporate the flour so that a loose dough forms. Turn it out onto a flat, clean surface and add a little more flour. 

Knead until it's a pliable consistency. Section it into quarters and form long snake like lines. Chop into bite size pieces and transfer to a separate plate lightly sprinkled with flour. 

Get a pot of salted water boiling meanwhile, then add all the gnocchi at once. When Gnocchi is ready, it will float to the surface. It will take a max of five minutes to cook once the water is boiling. 

To make the sauce, put butter in a large frying pan and heat until golden and frothing. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned, then deglaze with verjuice. 

Reduce the temperature to leave to simmer. Use a large slotted spoon on sieve to lift the gnocchi from the water and incorporate straight into the buttery mushies. Top with grated cheese and a little extra butter if you'd like. 

Serve topped with additional cheese. A hit in our house (though we add a good grind of salt and pepper and fresh basil leaves, and accompany it with a dry riesling, for the grown ups!). 

Saffron and Apple Risotto

I am so excited by the dinner my kids are having tonight. And, let me tell you, so were they! This is a risotto flavoured with a hint of saffron, and packed with veg, and fruit. There's grated apple, zucchini, carrot, onion, cabbage and cheddar cheese, and the saffron just gives it a delightful depth of flavour. Crispy bacon was a concession to their addiction to all things pork.

Salmon Spaghetti

A great way to get those vital omega 3s into fussy eaters, as well as some sneaky veg, this pasta is a sure-fire hit.

You will need
A handful of spaghetti, snapped in half and cooked according to packet instructions
100g butter
2 tablespoons spelt/wholemeal flour
1 cup low fat milk
1/2 cup grated cheese
1/2 cup grated or finely sliced veggies (cabbage, zucchini, eggplant, carrot all make great additions)
Large tin pink or red salmon
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh herbs (I used parsley and Dill)

Melt the butter in a saucepan over moderate heat. Once it begins to bubble and has turned a lustrous gold, add flour and stir until you have a ball. Add milk in very small quantities, starting with a tablespoon, and stir continuously.

Once you have a nice, thickening white sauce, add the veggies and cheese. Strain off the salmon and incorporate, mashing down so that there are no large chunks. Add the drained, cooked pasta and the parsley, stir over low heat, then serve. This is a firm favourite for us- the white sauce mix cooks in the time it takes to boil pasta. From start to finish this is a fifteen minute dinner.

Three cheese pasta

All kids seem to love those types of stodgy foods that we think of as comfort foods. My little guy will frequently go into the pantry, pull out the pasta jar and request it for dinner.

This is absolutely the quickest dinner in my repertoire- it takes about ten minutes to prepare and is always a hit.

In the lead up to Christmas, I discovered a great wholegrain organic pasta in the shape of little elk heads. Reindeer pasta- how festive! Where else for this delicious little product but ikea? While normally we try to buy more local (!) I couldn't resist this Christmassy pasta.

Ingredients

1 cup dried pasta
1/2 cup grated cheese- mix vintage cheddar and Parmesan
1 tablespoon ricotta or chèvre
1 free range egg, whisked

Prepare the pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain once cooked, add the cheese and egg and stir constantly over low heat until melted. This should be enough for at least two meals.

I like to make sure I follow this serve of stodgy goodness with some fresh fruit for dessert, but this is such a good dinner for those days when you're just too tired to do much more than boil water!

NB, of course you can stir through some tinned tuna or sliced chicken breast, frozen peas or herbs to keep your little one's taste buds guessing.