Who doesn’t love gnocchi, especially with gorgonzola and artichokes. As a boy I would always try and avoid eating artichokes, I have no idea why. Now I cannot get enough of them.
To clean the artichokes, cut off most of the stalk and remove the tough outer leaves by hand. Once you reach the softer leaves, use a sharp serrated knife to trim off 2–3 cm from the top. Cut the artichoke in half lengthways so you can reach the heart, and scrape it clean with a small knife. Rub the clean heart with 1 tsp of the lemon juice to stop it discoloring. Cut each artichoke half into 5 mm–thick slices. Place in cold water and stir in half (about 50 ml) of the remaining lemon juice.
Drain the artichokes and place in a sauté pan. Add the remaining lemon juice, thyme, garlic, black peppercorns, olive oil, lemon slices, water and salt. Cook on medium heat for 20–25 minutes, or until artichokes are soft and the sauce is a thick consistency. Add peeled broad beans and set aside.
Place another pot of water on the heat add a handful of salt and bring to boil. Once to the boil, add gnocchi and cook until they float to the top. Drain and add to artichokes, place pan back on the heat, mix gnocchi through artichokes and warm through. Add gorgonzola, mint, parsley and mix well and serve.
This dish is the perfect combination of Australian native ingredients and classic Italian tradition. I’ve marinated the tomatoes in Warndu’s delicious wattleseed balsamic vinegar and native thyme oil, topping both with stracciatella cheese. Warndu uses this country’s native plants, nuts, seeds and proteins and each of these will create meaningful meals, meals that are local and seasonal in the true sense of words.
This dish inspired by one of my recent trips to the Huon Salmon farm in Tasmania. Makes a huge difference to the taste of the dish when fish is harvested at night and arrives fresh the next day. Paired with a delicious fresh and simple spring recipe.