- A head of broccoli
- 200g chestnut mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves
- 400g gnocchi
- ½ x 200ml half fat crème fraîche
- 1 lemon
- A handful of thyme, leaves only
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- Large pan with lid
- Frying pan
- 1.
Fill and boil your kettle. Cut the broccoli head into small florets and thinly slice the stalk. Pour the hot water into a large pan and pop on a high heat to bring it back up to a boil. Add the broccoli and simmer for 3 mins to just cook it. Drain and rinse the broccoli under cold water. Leave to drain.
- 2.
Meanwhile, roughly tear the mushrooms into small pieces. Peel and grate the garlic. Set the pan you cooked the broccoli in back on a medium heat for 2 mins. Pour in 1 tbsp olive oil, season then add the mushrooms. Cook for 4-5 mins, stirring often, till soft and juicy.
- 3.
While the mushrooms cook, warm a frying pan on a medium heat for 1 min then add ½ tbsp olive oil. Add the gnocchi and fry for 6-8 mins, stirring regularly, till golden and crisp.
- 4.
When the mushrooms are juicy looking, add the garlic and thyme leaves to the pan. Stir and fry for 2 mins. Add the broccoli to the pan and stir. Turn the heat down to very low. Stir in half the pot of crème fraîche. Finely grate in the zest from the lemon and add a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 3 mins till everything is warmed through. Don't overheat the pan as that can make the crème fraîche split.
- 5.
Add the gnocchi to the sauce and fold together. Serve in a couple of warmed bowls with wedges of lemon on the side to squeeze over.
- Tip
A matter of thyme
Quickly strip the leaves off the thyme by pulling the sprigs through a mesh sieve to catch the leaves. If the stalks are white and tender you can keep the leaves on and roughly chop the whole sprigs.