As a teacher, we regularly have a 'book box' at school; cheap books from outside firms that we can order. As usual, before half term, there was the odd cookery book. Now, I'm someone who already has many, many cookbooks, but this one caught my interest. Firstly, the recipes all looked good. Secondly, they were short and simple and thirdly, each had relatively few ingredients. It was Gino
D'Acampo's first book, '
Fantastico', and it was a pleasure to take home, sit in the sun in the
garden and browse through.
I was so excited that I've tried two recipes, both on the same day! I hadn't however, thought this through.
Gnocchi Pomodoro and
Pizza Alla Napoletana were my two choices; pizza as it looked delicious and I had a 'bottom of the fridge' to empty so seemed a good idea. The second recipe was specifically for the
boyf. as he loves Gnocchi and, whilst I've never particularly enjoyed it on previous occasions, I thought I'd give it a go. What I failed to consider was the fact that both were dough based and, as a consequence, by the time I had finished, the kitchen looked more like a bakery: flour covered and glued itself to every available surface, including me!
Both were very easy to prepare and I added a range of toppings to the pizza. It was the one and only pizza base I've ever made that actually went bubbly and crispy at the edges, a first for me!
Since I'd spent so long making it, even I had a bowl of the gnocchi. The most exciting part is waiting for it to bubble up into the pan and float to the top! I served it with the suggested sauce, a simple tomato and basil reduction.
The second recipe for the Gnocchi, since I had at least another two servings left, was an even simpler basil pesto. Simply blitz basil with salt, pepper and olive oil. roast some halved cherry tomatoes in the oven until soft. Mix the cooked hot Gnocchi with the pesto and serve topped with the tomatoes. It was even better than the first recipe and perfect as a summer starter for a dinner party.
The third recipe is also very easy but particularly tasty. Toss the cooked Gnocchi in butter, salt, pepper and torn sage leaves. Serve hot.
If, like me, you don't really like Gnocchi, this is definitely the recipe to try, and all the sauces really are delicious, so I urge you to give them a go. I do, however, suggest that you make either the Gnocchi or the Pizza and don't do them on the same night! Unless you like looking like Fred!
