Yep, that’s my nightmare. Right there. A giant crowd. Just huge. There was a soap box derby race at Dolores Park in San Francisco yesterday. Since my dashing husband is out of town, I felt the need to keep Ernie busy and distracted this weekend. So I did the very last thing I wanted to do because I thought he’d like it: I took him to the race. Even though I knew it would be crowded. Even though I knew it was likely to resemble a street fair. Even though it was one of the prettiest days of the year and I knew that meant the crowd would be even more huge and street-fair-like than I originally thought.
There were two things keeping this plan on track: first, we can walk there; second, my cousin Katie was going to join us. So we went, we fought the crowds, Katie carried Ernest on her shoulders, we saw a few cars (a doughnut, a shark, a log), and Ernie begged to go home. “It’s too loud, Mama,” he said. Whether it’s nature or nurture at work there, he is just like his parents.
So what does this have to do with dinner, you ask? Well, after all the “fun” and sun, I was in no mood to cook much. But we were hungry come dinner time. And maybe even in need of a wee bit of comfort. Ricotta chard gnocchi to the rescue! Wait, don’t stop reading internets! I’m not suggesting that whipping up some homemade ricotta gnocchi with chard in them is a quick and easy dinner. I’m suggesting tossing packaged gnocchi with ricotta and chard makes a quick one-dish supper.
Ricotta chard gnocchi
1 big bunch chard (I prefer Swiss, but red was used in the dish above and rainbow or golden works just dandy as well)
1 500 gram/1.1 lb. package gnocchi
About 1 cup ricotta
Parmesan
Salt, pepper, a bit of butter
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile cut out the stems of the chard leaves (make a “v” to get a fair amount of the stem). Chop stems and set aside. Cut leaves and set aside. Do not set them aside together. We don’t want them fighting.
Add salt to make the boiling water salty. Add chopped stems. Cook until almost tender. Add gnocchi and chard leaves. Cook until gnocchi is tender (usually about 2 or 3 minutes–look on the package). Drain throughly, put in a large bowl and toss with the ricotta. Add salt and pepper to taste. Butter a baking pan (8×8 works, but slightly larger is better–I use a 9×12 Spanish casseula, but a gratin dish works well too), put gnocchi in it, sprinkle with plenty of freshly grated parmesan. Broil until brown and crispy on top. Serve to happy campers.
Maris | 19-Oct-08 at 6:16 pm | Permalink
Gnocchi is my favorite kind of pasta! I had pumpkin gnocchi once and I loved it.
Dani in NC | 20-Oct-08 at 3:55 pm | Permalink
Large crowds are my nightmare, too. You really are a good mommy to take your kid out there despite your preferences.
BTW, thanks for visiting my blog. I have pesto with my basil and my daughter (who doesn’t like tomato sauce) enjoys it. I’m still on the lookout for some other ideas. Thanks for the link to egg poaching instructions. I will definitely be giving that a try.