Gnocchi with Spinach and Peas

Feels a bit more like spring.  I slaughtered a lamb yesterday and rolled around in fields of asparagus. I'm kidding. I didn't do that.  But I did make pasta with spinach, lemon and peas recently.  It seemed all spring-ish to me.


The pasta called for in the original recipe is gnocchi, but you can use any pasta you like.  That original recipe recommends using dried De Cecco gnocchi, which I could not fine. The pasta force be with you.


Oh, I also had some leftover prosciutto so added that to the recipe, but you can skip that if you want this to be vegetarian.


Adapted from Epicurious

• 2 to 3 oz prosciutto, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces (optional)
• 1 cup frozen peas (not thawed)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 3 cups packed baby spinach (3 ounces) (I doubled the amount and bought one of those 5 oz bags. why not.)
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 pound dried gnocchi (or other pasta)
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan

Prrrrep! Your ppprrrrosciutto!

Place ppprrrrosciutto! in skillet over medium low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until ppprrooosciutto! (sick of that yet?) is crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes (that's a lie, I can't remember, but it should be somewhere around there.

And now ve begeen vis de odder ingaedienz for de pasta saus!

Anyway, add the peas, cream, garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 tsp salt to the prosciutto.  Cover and simmer until peas are just tender, about 5 minutes.

Add in spinach and cook, uncovered,  until spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes.

Add in the lemon juice and zest.

In a separate pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi according to package directions.  Drain gnocchi and add to sauce.  Liberally dose with grated parmesan. 

This was a relatively quick dish that I will make again.  My one caveat had nothing to do with the recipe but more with the gnocchi that I used, which was subpar. NEVER AGAIN will I use that gnocchi. Not that you'll use this gnocchi, but it was the Fairway brand in NYC.

Ta-da!