Dinner with Rukmini
Browse all of the recipes in Rukmini Iyer’s cookbooks by ingredient.
Crispy-topped Artichoke, Butternut Squash and Rosemary Baked Gnocchi
This easy vegetarian midweek meal is packed with delicious ingredients from crispy tray-baked gnocchi to creamy goat's cheese, plus artichokes and squash.
Introduction
Could I write a cookbook without including at least one crispy baked gnocchi dish? I could not. This version includes some of my favourite autumnal ingredients – goat’s cheese, artichokes and butternut squash. It’s just what you want to eat on a cold evening – and leftovers warm through beautifully in the oven the next day.
Ingredients
| 1kg | butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 ½cm cubes |
| 1 sprig | rosemary, leaves chopped, plus a few extra sprigs for the top |
| 1 tsp | chilli flakes |
| 1 ½ tbsp | olive oil (you can use the oil from the artichoke jar), plus extra for drizzling |
| 1kg | potato gnocchi (fresh or vac-packed) |
| 500g | crème fraîche |
| 185g | quartered artichokes in oil, drained |
| 2 x 125g logs | goat’s cheese, sliced |
| A big handful of | panko breadcrumbs |
| 50g | pine nuts |
| sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper |
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas 6. Tip the butternut squash, rosemary, chilli flakes, olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt into a large, deep roasting tin. Mix well, then transfer to the oven to bake for 25 minutes until just softening.
Meanwhile, place the gnocchi into a large heatproof bowl and pour over a kettleful of just-boiled water. Leave to sit for 2 minutes to blanch, then drain well.
Once the squash has had 25 minutes in the oven, remove the tin and gently stir through the gnocchi, crème fraîche and another teaspoon of salt until evenly mixed. (It doesn’t matter that the gnocchi won’t sit all in one layer, as this is a gratin-style dish.)
Scatter over the artichoke quarters, goat’s cheese slices, panko breadcrumbs, pine nuts, a good grind of freshly ground black pepper and some rosemary sprigs. Drizzle with a little olive oil, then transfer to the oven to bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Serve hot.
