Vegetarian mains
Samphire & porcini gnocchi
Marsh samphire is delicious; it has a distinct, salty, mineral taste that is excellent as a stand-alone flavour or paired with earthy porcini mushrooms as in this dish. Be sure to thoroughly wash the samphire before cooking, as it comes from tidal mud flats. Be careful not to overcook the samphire, as its crunchy texture is easily destroyed.
Cook's notes
The mushroom butter is excellent because it adds a slightly nutty taste – if you don’t eat dairy, then it works well with top quality olive oil as well.
Ingredients
- 400g gnocchi
- 2 garlic cloves
- 20g dried porcini mushrooms
- large handful samphire
- 1 lemon
- salted butter, or olive oil
Method
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Step 1
Cook the gnocchi according to packet instructions.
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Step 2
Heat a generous knob of butter in a heavy frying pan. Peel and crush the garlic, or leave chunky if you really enjoy garlic. Fry the garlic on a low heat, make sure you don’t burn it; if it gets too hot and starts to brown then add a touch of olive oil.
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Step 3
Grate the porcini mushrooms into the pan, keeping on a low heat, and fry for 4 minutes.
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Step 4
Add the cooked, drained gnocchi to the pan and turn the heat up. Fry for 4 minutes until it’s golden brown.
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Step 5
Turn the heat down to a low-medium heat, add the samphire and gently fry for a further 1-2 minutes.
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Step 6
Finish with black pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice.