I am terrible, TERRIBLE, at making decisions. Shall we go to this restaurant or that restaurant? Should I have cheesecake or sticky toffee pudding? Or the chocolate fondant? Do I really want garlic bread if I’m having pizza? (Yes, yes I do). And it’s not just food decisions I can’t make. Do I want to watch my new, exciting Lovefilm or another episode of the Sopranos? Do I want to read at lunchtime or go running? (Admittedly, deciding which I’d prefer here isn’t difficult, but oh, the guilt if I don’t run). Do I think this dress is beautiful or is it actually so hideous that it’s become interesting, but ultimately unwearable?
Sometimes though, being indecisive can work out pretty well. This recipe came about while discussing what I should have for tea with Mark at work. “I know I want gnocchi”, I said, “but do I want bolognese or sausage?”. “Clearly”, he replied, “you want bolognese AND sausage”. Genius.
It gets better though. No, really. I got home, told Chris what we were having and he responded with “can you add chorizo to it?”. Yup.
Often with this type of recipe, I wonder whether to eat it as soon as the sauce and pasta or gnocchi are cooked, or whether to toss them together, smother in cheese and bake in the oven. This usually depends on whether how hungry I am (very) outweighs how much I want my tea to be smothered in melted mozzarella (a lot). This time, cheese won, but if you’re hungry then you can skip that step!
Gnocchi with sausage and bolognese
A Cafe Lula recipe (with thanks to Mark)
Serves 2
Ingredients
olive oil, for frying
2 shallots, finely chopped
200g lean minced steak
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 of your favourite sausages (about 200g), skins removed, cut into chunks
60g cooking chorizo, cut into chunks
125g mushrooms, sliced
350g passata
a pinch of rosemary
black pepper, to season
50g spinach
250g gnocchi (I used bought, but you could make your own)
125g mozzarella ball, thinly sliced
Preheat the oven to 180C.
In a wok or large pan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat and fry the shallots for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add the minced steak and brown all over. Add the garlic, sausages and chorizo and fry for a few minutes, then add the mushrooms. Fry until the meats are all cooked through.
Add the passata and season with the rosemary and black pepper. Stir in the spinach and simmer the sauce to wilt the spinach while you cook the gnocchi in a pan of boiling water.
Once the gnocchi is cooked, drain it and toss it with the sauce. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and top with the mozzarella. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Serve!
Hi Julia,
Thanks for stopping by Cookie Madness. Your comment made me really happy and I’m glad I was able to help you through a tough day at work. At least Cookie Madness is good for something :). Anyway, I’m looking over your recipes and see a few things I want to try. I’ve never actually made gnochhi, though. Maybe I’ll try it first.
Thanks for your comment 🙂
I just buy the “fresh” gnocchi from the supermarket, but I keep thinking I should try making my own.
Julia this looks absolutely delicious! I’m loving your blog and so glad to be a new follower! xoxo
Thank you! I’m glad you like it 🙂
Love it when indecision turns out! This looks fantastic!