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Kick Some Asparagus: Brown Butter Gnocchi with Asparagus and Peas

June 14, 2016 By Isabelle Boucher 12 Comments | Filed Under: comfort food, main course, pasta, sponsored, spring

14 Jun

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Loblaws Companies Inc.. All opinions are 100% mine.

After the long, boring stretch of root vegetables and storage apples that is winter produce in Ontario, it’s always a lovely day when I step into the grocery store and spot the first display of local asparagus. It’s the surest sign that summer’s bounty isn’t far behind.

Brown Butter Gnocchi with Asparagus and Peas

The tall green stalks might just be one of my favourite local seasonal vegetables. Left to my own devices, I could happily eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner until the season is over without ever getting bored. (And, thankfully, asparagus is versatile enough that I could probably get away with three meals a day, too!)

I guess the folks at Loblaws are equally obsessed with asparagus, because they’ve picked them as June’s featured Share the Food Love ingredient.

Asparagus

When buying asparagus, look for smooth, bright green, unblemished stalks and tight tips. Avoid any stalks that look too dry or split on the bottoms, or wrinkled stems… they’re already well past their prime.

If you’re not going to use them right away, fill a jar with an inch of cold water and place the bunch of asparagus in the jar with the cut ends down, and then store in the refrigerator. (I find it usually helps to keep the elastic band around the asparagus to hold them together in a nice tight bundle.) They won’t keep for very long, though, so try to use them within a few days.

Asparagus and Peas

When you’re ready to cook them, give the asparagus a quick rinse and then snap or cut off the woody ends at the bottom of the stalks. Some people say that fatter stalks should also be peeled because the outer skin gets a little tough, but personally I’ve never had a problem with it, so I just skip it… when you’re paying by the pound, there’s no point in throwing out perfectly delicious asparagus if you don’t have to!

Asparagus, in my opinion, lends itself best to simple preparations. Most of the time, I just steam for 3-5 minutes until the stalks are bright green and tender-crisp, or toss with a little olive oil and then cook on a blazing hot grill for a minute or two, just enough to get some nice grill marks on the stems and lightly char the edges of the tips. A dash of salt and pepper and a quick squeeze of lemon or a splash of balsamic is all it takes to finish things off.

Brown Butter Gnocchi with Asparagus and Peas

If you really must gild the lily, though, I highly recommend this quickie pasta dish.

It might seem really fancy, thanks to its combination of pillowy gnocchi, crispy-salty prosciutto and tender spring veggies, but it literally takes less than half an hour from start to finish. It’s about as easy as dinner gets, short of ordering take-out.

Brown Butter Gnocchi with Asparagus and Peas

Gnocchi in brown butter sauce is traditionally served as a rich, belly-filling dish meant to offset impending winter cold, but this version is the opposite of that, because it’s almost summer and bikini season will be here before you know it.

There’s just enough gnocchi and butter to make it feel luxurious, but I’ve flipped the ratio around so that the focus is firmly planted on the lively spring duo of asparagus and sweet peas. A final dash of lemon juice cuts the richness of the butter and prosciutto.

It’s the perfect way to celebrate the oh-so-brief Ontario asparagus season, which will be over before you know it. So get to your local Loblaws while the getting is good!

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Share the Love Contest:

To sweeten the deal, you might just win your next grocery shop at Loblaws (estimated value $250). To enter, follow @LoblawsON on Instagram, then share a photo of your favourite asparagus recipes with the hashtags #WeLoveFood and #ShareTheFoodLove. (Pro tip: Don’t forget to make sure your account is set to public so that the team at Loblaws can see it!)

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Brown Butter Gnocchi with Asparagus and Peas
 
Print
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
20 mins
Total time
30 mins
 
A fresh spring makeover for a classic Italian dish - tender gnocchi tossed with brown butter and crispy pancetta meet tender asparagus and sweet peas. It’s a match made in heaven!
Author: Isabelle Boucher (Crumb)
Recipe type: Main
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 package (1lb / 500g) gnocchi
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 100g prosciutto, cut into thin strips
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, finely mined
  • 1 pound asparagus, cut into 1” lengths
  • 1 cup sweet peas, fresh or frozen
  • ¼ cup salted butter
  • 10-12 fresh sage leaves
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • Lots of black pepper
  • Grated Parmesan, to garnish
Instructions
  1. Cook the gnocchi in boiling salted water as per package directions. Drain and set aside.
  2. While the gnocchi is cooking, fry up the prosciutto in olive oil in a large skillet with high sides over medium-high heat until it starts to crisp up, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a small plate lined with paper towel and set aside, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.
  3. Add the green onion and garlic to the pan, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the asparagus and peas, and saute until bright green and starting to get tender, about 2 minutes. Scrape into a bowl and set aside.
  4. Wipe the skillet clean using a paper towel. Add the butter and let it cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s foamy and a nutty golden-brown colour, about 2-4 minutes. Remove from heat immediately, and stir in the fresh sage.
  5. Add the cooked gnocchi to the pan and toss to coat evenly with butter. Stir in the crispy prosciutto and the cooked vegetables, and sprinkle with lemon juice and lots of fresh ground black pepper. Toss until everything is evenly coated. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan for garnish.
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Previous Post: « The (Lemon)grass is Always Greener: Lemongrass Tofu Banh Mi Sandwiches
Next Post: Easy Peasy: Early Summer Frittata with Peas, Garlic Scapes and Shiitakes »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. janet @ the taste space says

    June 20, 2016 at 4:51 pm

    I agree, it is always refreshing to see local asparagus in the stores. Love the simplicity yet gourmet feel to this dish. :)

    Reply
  2. Renee - Kudos Kitchen says

    June 20, 2016 at 8:34 am

    Oh my goodness! If I started eating this, I don’t think I could stop. Seriously. I love everything about it, and I adore the fresh springtime asparagus and peas! Perfection!!!

    Reply
  3. Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

    June 18, 2016 at 1:50 pm

    This looks SO good!! I love the thoughtful combination of ingredients – wish so much I were having this for lunch today!

    Reply
  4. Kim Beaulieu says

    June 18, 2016 at 1:42 am

    Oh my gosh, Isabelle, this is stunning. You did good. Ha. I’m putting this on my must make list. I love gnocchi and this flavour combination is sheer genius. Brown butter, omg, I could drink it in a tall glass with a straw.

    Reply
  5. Marisa says

    June 17, 2016 at 11:24 pm

    I simply adore gnocchi and this dish looks sooooo delicious!! Brava 😊

    Reply
  6. Samantha @mykitchenlove says

    June 17, 2016 at 10:52 pm

    Okay, this looks amazing! Stuffed full of Spring and then you top it off brown butter?! Sign me up!

    Reply
  7. Shareba Abdul says

    June 17, 2016 at 9:49 pm

    I love your photos in this post! This looks really tasty, I think I should make it for dinner this weekend :)

    Reply
  8. Teresa says

    June 17, 2016 at 8:13 pm

    This sounds fantastic! I love simplicity with asparagus, too, but a meal like this can only make it shine more.

    Reply
  9. MDIVADOMESTICA says

    June 17, 2016 at 8:12 pm

    Yeah! Gnocchi! Love it. Great idea with the fresh addition of peas and asparagus.

    Reply
  10. The Food Hunter says

    June 17, 2016 at 5:51 pm

    gnocchi are my favorite…great recipe.

    Reply
  11. Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes says

    June 17, 2016 at 1:52 pm

    The asparagus is just perfect this time of year and I love how you worked it into this dish!

    Reply
  12. Mardi (eat. live. travel. write.) says

    June 14, 2016 at 8:22 pm

    Isabelle this likes like a wonderful way to celebrate spring/ summer :)

    Reply

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Hello! I'm Isabelle, and this is my blog. I'm a 40-something coffee-chugging, booty-shaking, bargain-shopping, trucker-swearing self-taught cook with a major addiction to vintage cookbooks. Come for the recipes, stay for the terrible puns! Connect with me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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