Vegetarian mains
Gnocchi and seasonal greens with brown butter
Brown butter is a thing of beauty. It involves cooking the milk solids in the butter to achieve a nutty caramel taste. You can add it to any recipe that requires melted butter for a more complex and interesting flavour; anything from hollandaise sauce to cupcakes. People too often cut away and waste the stalks when cooking Calabrese broccoli. They are just as delectable as the main floret. The trick is to cut your florets with a long tail of stalk still attached. Trim the stalk so that it cooks at the same speed.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp capers
- salt and pepper
- 1 head broccoli
- 100g kale
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 40g pine nuts
- 50g butter
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 400g fresh gnocchi
- 25g grated Italian-style hard cheese
Method
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Step 1
Place the capers into a mug of cold water to remove some of the salt. Put a large pan of salted water on to boil.
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Step 2
Wash and chop the broccoli into even-sized florets.
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Step 3
Wash the kale and strip the leaves off their tough central rib stalks. Discard the stalks and roughly chop the leaves.
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Step 4
Peel and finely chop 1 garlic clove. Very finely chop the leaves from 1 rosemary stalk, so they resemble breadcrumbs. Drain and roughly chop the capers.
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Step 5
Put a frying pan on a medium heat. Toast the pine nuts in the dry pan. Keep them moving until they're lightly coloured, taking care not to burn them. Keep to one side.
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Step 6
Return the pan to the heat and add the butter. Cook until it starts to take on some colour, swirling it in the pan every so often. When it is golden brown and giving off a nutty aroma, remove from the heat.
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Step 7
Add the garlic, capers, rosemary and balsamic vinegar to the butter. Take care, as the vinegar may make the butter sputter, but it helps arrest the cooking.
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Step 8
Cook the gnocchi in the pan of boiling water for 3 mins, then lift out with a slotted or large spoon into the frying pan of brown butter to keep warm. Keep the water boiling in the pan.
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Step 9
Cook the broccoli and kale in the same water for 3 mins. Drain and add to the gnocchi.
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Step 10
Return the gnocchi pan to a gentle heat for 1 min, mixing everything together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Step 11
Divide the gnocchi into large pasta bowls. Top with the cheese and pine nuts.