By The azaleas are starting to show color around the neighborhood — pink and white against the green. Spring feels like it's in a hurry this year. I stood on the porch after school breathing it in and thought about how MawMaw Shirley says some seasons come sudden and some you have to wait for.
This week I tried my first real experiment. Mama was tired from coding, so I made a simple one-pot chicken and rice with what we had. I browned the chicken, added the Trinity, a can of tomatoes, and enough rice and broth to stretch it. The rice got a little soft, but Daddy ate two helpings anyway. Jamal said, "Lil sis is cooking now." I wrote the recipe down with notes: "Next time, less water."
At school they talked about community helpers again. I stood up in my graphic tee and denim shorts and told the class I want to be a doctor for kids in neighborhoods like ours. One boy asked if I was scared of blood. I told him I'm more scared of people not having someone who understands them. My teacher wrote "thoughtful" on my paper. I folded it and put it next to my recipes.
Saturday MawMaw Shirley let me start the roux by myself for the gumbo. My arm got tired after twenty minutes but I kept going, watching the color change to deep chocolate. "That's it, baby," she said. "Patience ain't flashy, but it feeds people." I thought about the flood warnings on the news and wondered if our house would need that kind of patience. I pushed the thought away and kept stirring.
Tonight the house is quiet. I'm in bed with my notebook. Kayla is breathing soft beside me. I touched the small beauty mark under my left eye and smiled. Twelve years old and already learning that the best things take time. The roux, the dreams, the way love holds a family together. I'm not rushing. I'm stirring.
That night in bed, notebook open, I kept thinking about what MawMaw Shirley said — how patience ain’t flashy, but it feeds people. The roux taught me that, but so did this gnocchi I’d been wanting to try. Rolling each little pillow of dough, waiting for them to float to the surface, watching the cream sauce come together slow and smooth — it’s the same kind of stirring, the same kind of prayer. Here’s the recipe that reminded me good things don’t rush themselves.
Roasted Garlic Gnocchi with Bacon Spinach and Smoked Gouda Cream Sauce
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 lbs baking potatoes (about 4)
- 1 head of garlic
- Olive oil for drizzling
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1/2 lb bacon, cut into pieces
- 1/2 bag of fresh baby spinach leaves
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 pound smoked gouda, coarsely shredded
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
- Pinch nutmeg
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Roast the garlic. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Peel some of the excess outer paper away and cut off the top of the garlic. On a sheet of foil, drizzle the garlic with olive oil. Wrap the garlic up in the foil, and roast it for 30 minutes.
- Prepare the potatoes. As the garlic roasts, pierce the potatoes all over with a fork. Microwave the potatoes for 15 minutes, or until tender. Cut the potatoes in half and scoop the flesh into a potato ricer and rice the potatoes (alternatively, you can keep the potatoes whole and use a grater, although I really suggest a potato ricer). Transfer 2 cups of the riced potatoes to a bowl.
- Make the dough. Squeeze the now-roasted garlic into the mixture. Stir in the egg yolks and 1 teaspoon salt. Add 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of flour and stir until a stiff dough forms. Gently knead the dough until smooth.
- Shape the gnocchi. Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper and dust with flour. Flour an even, sturdy surface like a counter top. On the floured surface, cut the dough into 4 equal-sized pieces, and then use pressure from your palms to roll each into ropes slightly under an inch thick. Cut the ropes into inch-long pieces and transfer to the baking sheet. (You can also roll the gnocchi against the tines of a fork to give it ridges, however gnocchi are often made without ridges in Italy, and I like to save time.)
- Cook the gnocchi. In a large, deep skillet of simmering salted water, cook the gnocchi until they rise to the surface, then simmer for 2 minutes longer.
- Cook the bacon and spinach. As the gnocchi cook, cook the bacon in a large skillet until nearly crisp, then add spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted. Transfer to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Leave the drippings in and keep heat on medium, remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and put them into the hot skillet, stirring until they begin to turn golden. Remove and add to the bowl with the spinach bacon mixture, toss to combine.
- Start the cream sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add the milk and bring to a boil, whisking constantly.
- Thicken the sauce. Cook over medium heat, whisking until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the cheese. Add the cream, smoked Gouda, paprika and nutmeg and whisk until the cheese melts. Season with salt and pepper.
- Finish and serve. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit more milk or cream to thin it and whisk to combine. When you reach the desired consistency, pour over the gnocchi and serve.
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information not available for this recipe.