Vegetarian mains
Fried gnocchi and purple sprouting broccoli with roasted tomatoes and ricotta
Apart from the very end of the stalks that may be a little dry, almost all the purple sprouting broccoli (PSB) can be used, including the smaller and more tender of the leaves.
Cook's notes
Our ricotta is made by High Weald dairy in Sussex from sheep's milk. It is firm and crumbly, unlike the watery supermarket versions.
Ingredients
- 250g cherry tomatoes
- light olive or sunflower oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 200g purple sprouting broccoli
- 1 lemon
- 15g oregano
- 1 garlic clove
- 75g ricotta
- 250g gnocchi
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Cut the tomatoes in half. Place them cut side up on the baking tray. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with some oil and the balsamic vinegar. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
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Step 2
Prepare the purple sprouting broccoli Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Trim the broccoli into long generous spears, roughly pencil-thick in size and using as much of the stalk as you can. Keep any small tender leaves attached too.
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Step 3
Zest the lemon. Strip the oregano leaves from their stalks. Peel and finely chop or crush 1 garlic clove. Make the lemony ricotta by crumbling and seasoning it with the lemon zest, a pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper.
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Step 4
When the tomatoes are 10 minutes from being ready, tip the gnocchi into the boiling water. Cook for 3-4 minutes until they float and bob on the surface of the water. While they cook heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the frying pan.
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Step 5
Remove and drain the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and add it to the frying pan. Be careful of spitting oil as any residual water hits the pan. Fry the gnocchi over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Shake it well so that it colours but doesn't stick.
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Step 6
While the gnocchi fries, drop the broccoli into the water and boil for 3 minutes until tender. Drain it well and add it to the pan with the gnocchi. Throw in the chopped garlic and oregano leaves. Fry everything together for another 1 minute.
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Step 7
Remove the roasted tomatoes from the oven and tip them into the pan along with all their sharp sweet juices. Mix everything together well. Season with salt and pepper to suit your taste. Pile into shallow bowls and scatter over the lemony ricotta.