Gnocchi with Asparagus & Arugula

The asparagus cook first in butter over high heat until slightly blackened; a deliberate choice and the step that gives the dish its character. They come out of the pan and rest while the cream sauce builds in the same skillet: butter, cream, nutmeg, cayenne, and rosemary, then Parmigiano Reggiano whisked in until the sauce thickens slightly. The gnocchi cook separately in salted boiling water and float to the surface when they are ready, then go straight into the sauce. The asparagus and arugula follow last, the arugula wilting on contact.

This works as a warm main course or, as a salad eaten cold or slightly warm, which makes it a flexible recipe for two that adapts to the mood of the meal rather than dictating it. One pot for the gnocchi, one skillet for everything else, twenty minutes from start to table.

Why This Recipe Works

Blackening the asparagus in butter over high heat rather than steaming or blanching is the decision that gives this dish its character. High dry heat caramelizes the sugars on the cut surfaces and concentrates the asparagus flavor in a way that a cream sauce would normally soften into blandness, here it holds. The arugula goes in last and wilts on contact with the warm sauce, which is exactly right: fully cooked arugula loses its peppery bite, but wilted arugula keeps it. The sauce is deliberately restrained; cream, Parmigiano, nutmeg, cayenne, and rosemary, because the asparagus and arugula are doing the work, and a heavier sauce would bury them.

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Key Ingredients of This Recipe

You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.

• Potato gnocchi
• Asparagus
• Arugula
• Rosemary

Gnocchi recipes are in general as simple as pasta recipes and the only thing to be mindful of is the cooking time. You want the gnocchi to be soft and tender, but not soggy. There are 3 types of gnocchi, home-made, shelf stable and fresh (frozen or refrigerated). Obviously the home-made version is most labor-intensive, but you control the ingredients and the shelf stable contains most additions to keep it shelf-stable. That’s why I always prefer the fresh gnocchi or the home-made if I have time.

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How to Make Gnocchi with Asparagus & Arugula

This is a 2-pot dish. The gnocchi are cooked separately, and then added to the rest.

• Step 1 – Cut the woody ends of the asparagus and cut them in 2 inch pieces.
• Step 2 – Bring water and salt in a pan to a boil.
• Step 3 – Heat butter in a skillet and add the asparagus. Cook them on high heat so they blacken a little. Transfer the asparagus to a plate and set aside.
• Step 4 – Add the cream, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and rosemary to the skillet and whisk in the grated Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper. Simmer until the sauce starts to thicken.
• Step 5– Add the gnocchi to the boiling water, cook according to directions. Drain them and add them to the sauce.
• Step 6 – Add asparagus and arugula to the sauce and taste. Add salt and pepper if needed.

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