simply delicious

Evening eKa CIRCLE

Winding up the week on a friday evening in; there is nothing better than a quick tasty dinner that evokes memories of exotic visits to lands far away without any sweat and tears. Oh who am I kidding? I like quick easy dinners most nights!

One of the best things Italy taught me about food is that simple food is delicious. One does not have to over complicate like we tend to do in Australia by adding every single vegetable and spice into each dish- almost showing off the “land of plenty” on each plate. Definitely many of the the dishes prepared in many regions of Italy are quick to cook as well. So this is fast, fresh and budget friendly- that is definitely speaking my language.

A quick fridge inspection and I find I have some left over zucchinis that will marry nicely with a bag of home made potato gnocchi- if you are very clever you can spend an afternoon making gnocchi in a large batch and freezing it in portions. I didnt- I bought mine from the deli.

In the 5 minutes it took to boil the fresh gnocchi I had a very tasty sauce prepared made using my

preserved garlic, so no need to even peel and prepare the garlic- just give it a quick smash and add it with a little of the olive oil.

Don’t scrimp using low fat cream either. The Italians don’t. Natural food is best and you will find that full fat allows you to feel satisfied so that you eat less; yet enjoy the food more. I felt like a dash of paprika tonight but chilli flakes, grated lemon zest or a chop of fresh herbs would be equally as good.

Use what you have is my motto.

Gnocchi with Zucchini Sauce

1 packet of fresh gnocchi

20g butter

2 cloves preserved garlic, finely chopped

2 zucchini, sliced

1/2 tsp paprika

pinch grated nutmeg

2 tbsp sour cream

salt & pepper

shaved parmesan cheese, optional

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Boil the gnocchi in rolling water for 5 mins or until it floats. Drain immediately.

Heat the butter in a heavy based frypan. Add the garlic and zucchini and saute for 1 minute over a high heat. Add the paprika, nutmeg , sour cream. Simmer for 30 seconds and  season to taste. Serve with shaved parmesan if desired.

enjoy

love & light

M + E