A Note From the Chef
The inspiration for this dish comes from two different places, both with the same Italian sensibility and simplicity in mind.
One of my favorite restaurants in London is
The River Cafe. I love it for many reasons, but notably it is famed for the number of young chefs who earned their stripes in the kitchen, including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, April Bloomfield, Theo Randall, and Jamie Oliver.
Manned by the inimitable Ruthie Rogers and Rose Grey, it opened in 1987 and earned it’s first Michelin star in 1988 and has retained it ever since! So incredible!
They make simple, beautiful, regional Italian food. This is a riff on a simple pasta sauce that they make with just blanched spinach and olive oil. I chose to add Táche here, blended with blanched Tuscan kale. I thought the pistachio milk would lend itself to the earthy bitterness of the kale to create an unctuous emulsification and it really worked!
Cooking the onion and garlic with the kale before blending, adds a subtle sweetness to the sauce without either one being overpowering.
Gnocchi originates in Northern Italy, where the colder climate was better for growing potatoes than grain. A lot of heartier Italian cuisine comes from Northern Italy, like risotto and polenta. I chose gnocchi here, as it is a great vessel to help the thick sauce cling to, making each bite perfectly delicious.
The chopped pistachios add a perfect crunch to the pillowy gnocchi.
You could sub out the Tuscan kale for collard greens, or I think mustard greens would also work well.
Enjoy!
About Chloe Lucas-Walsh
Chloe lives in Los Angeles with her husband and 3 cats. She is a freelance recipe developer, food stylist, writer, art director and creative. She loves to constantly cook, eat, travel, write, and learn about other cultures. She's a natural wine fanatic, enjoys drinking very dirty vodka martinis, lives for long leisurely brunches with friends, and hosts weekly dinner parties out of her home. She was Chloe is cooking up next
@chloecooks___ .
