How about a spring gnocchi recipe using seasonal veggies? Here's what I'm doing on one of my new catering menus:
Gnocchi, seared broccolini, wild mushrooms, and spring peas with cashew butter
**I can provide my fresh gnocchi recipe for anyone with the time, desire, and nenads to try to make it themselves!!
ingredients:
1 pkg of frozen or dry gnocchi
1 bunch of fresh broccolini, rinsed and patted dry (do not confuse with broccoli rabe!!)
1 package of crimini mushrooms, or wild mushroom blend
1# of fresh english peas
5 springs of fresh thyme
1 stick of salted butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of rough chopped cashews
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt & black pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
nice pecorino or reggiano cheese for garnish
to make the cashew compound butter: soften butter at room temperature (do not heat in microwave). In a small bowl, blend butter, cashews, garlic, picked thyme leaves, lemon juice and a pinch of salt & pepper with a wooden spoon. Stir until homogenous. Tear off a 12" square piece of plastic wrap and spoon out butter into center. Be sure to scrape out all ingredients the best you can and make the rough shape of a log with the butter. Fold the plastic over the log making the bottom edge meet the top edge. Hold on to the sides of the plastic and roll the log away from you until it is rolled up like a "cigar". keep rolling until the log is cylindrical and uniform, then toss in the freezer for about an hour.
Follow the instructions on the gnocchi box (this will involve boiling or blanching the gnocchi, then shocking in a bath of ice water) Drain well and set aside.
Chop your broccolini into 1.5 x bite-size pieces (include the stems, leaves and florettes, throw nothing away except the rubber band that holds them together) and set aside
Shuck the peas and give them a rinse in cold water
Unless you bought sliced mushrooms, quarter all of the mushrooms you bought
Preheat a large sauce pan or skillet over high heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. when oil smokes, carefully add the broccolini and saute about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute until soft, about 3-5 more minutes. Season with salt & pepper and keep warm over low heat.
Preheat another skillet or large saute pan and add the remaining oil, wait until it smokes. Turn the heat down to medium-low. carefully add the gnocchi in an even layer in the pan and resist the urge to stir it. after 1 minute, gently shake the pan to loosen up the gnocchi--the under side of them should be browned--if they look too dark, reduce the heat to low, flip them all over to brown the other side.
Take butter from freezer, cut a few 1/2 inch disks and peel away plastic. add to gnocchi pan and lightly toss to melt/distribute butter. add peas.
Put pan of broccolini & mushrooms back on medium heat and melt a few slices of butter in that as well.
Once butter is melted in both pans and food is heated through combine all ingredients in either a bowl or large pot and toss well. S&P to taste. (there will be juices created in the pan with broccolini and mushrooms--do not discard this or drain it off, it must be tossed with the other ingredients to serve as the sauce along with the compound butter)
plate and serve immediately with shavings of cheese that you cut with a vegetable peeler.
if there's butter left over, keep it wrapped in plastic and freeze it, will be good for months and tastes great over chicken, steak & fish.