Sunday Peasant Gnocchi

This recipe, Sunday Peasant gnocchi gets its name from the idea that you can eat whatever during the week, but on Sunday you have meat.  There was a lack of money during the depression and the war years for my nonni in Calabria.  On Sunday, my nonna would take cured sausage, remove the casings, soak the meat, finely chop it and make meatballs.  For my version, I take fresh sausage meat and turn it into little balls of goodness.

Some mornings are for remembering and reflecting.  After visiting my hometown of Figline Vegliaturo again this summer, I am humbled by my roots.  It was a hard life for my nonna. Today, there is an abandoned local shop that belonged to my aunt Lina.  She sold meat and cheese, but my nonna could not afford to shop there.

Our family raised a pig each year. They slaughtered it and processed it into sausages, salami, prosciutto, etc.  The cured meat had to last all year.  My nonno Salvatore was an easy-going man.  All week he would eat vegetables, pasta, bread and all he could produce on his land. On Sundays, he wanted a meal with meat; and so, one day a week, they would use the preserved pig meat.

I have not experienced such hard times, but these stories live through some of the recipes I create today. I make Peasant Gnocchi on Sunday. Use a variety of sausages to make this gnocchi.  I have never tried soaking cured sausage, because I am lucky enough to be able to go to the store and buy fresh sausage.  In this recipe I used a spiced turkey sausage; a spiced sausage complements the blandness of the gnocchi.

Remove the sausage from the casing and roll into tiny balls.  I am using a spiced turkey sausage today.

Put the sausage balls into a non- stick pan.  The shallot is already in the pan.

When sausage is nice and brown, deglaze the pan with the white wine.

The last item to hit the pan before the gnocchi are the green peas.

 WHEN THE GNOCCHI ARE READY, PUT THEM directly into the pan.  Use a large slotted spoon to take out of the water.  A little pot water is good and help to make a sauce.

Finish with some ground black pepper, parmesan cheese and some grated lemon zest.

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Sunday Peasant Gnocchi

This recipe is a keeper.  

Course Main Course

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 cups frozen Green Giant sweetlet peas
• 400 gr spicy turkey sausage
• 1 medium shallot
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 454 gr package gnocchi
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• freshly grated parmesan to taste
• grated lemon zest

Instructions

1. Put a 6 quart pot to boil.

   Set a non- stick pan on the stove and add 2 tbsp of olive oil and shallot.  

   Pull the turkey sausage meat out of the casings and roll into small balls.

   Add the turkey sausage balls to the pan with the shallots.

   Let the tiny balls of sausage brown.

   Deglaze pan with white wine.  

   Add the frozen peas.  

   Take the gnocchi out of the hot pot and toss into the pan.

   Grate some freshly ground pepper, some parmesan and some lemon zest over the gnocchi.