My Super Simple Bruschetta Gnocchi

Designer Food

I make fresh Bruschetta all the time. It is definitely a fam jam favourite in our house! After visiting Italy with my hubby 5 years ago...wait! WOW!…5 years ago, really?? Ok, so five years ago, one of our main eats while visiting was Bruschetta and we drank many bottles of Ruffino Chianti. So when we returned home to Canada, I wanted to recreate some of the food experiences, but with a twist. If you haven't already noticed, I put Cilantro in almost everything! It just makes everything better in my opinion! I eat a lot of different foods where Cilantro is very prominent, like Vietnamese, Thai, and Indian. My husband also loves Cilantro and prefers it over Basil, so that is another reason why I switched the two herbs in this Bruschetta recipe.

I chop 2-3 tomatoes, depending on the size and how much left over I want. I add in a good quality olive oil and about 1/4 of a white onion. I add a handful of fresh chopped Cilantro and a pinch of sea salt. After topping my pan fried Italian bread with this mixture...then drowning it in freshly grated Parmesan cheese, I have enough left over for the next day.

Bruschetta is always better the next day because it has had a chance to marinate. Now, I don't make my own Gnocchi, but I guess I should learn how, now that I have my new stand mixer — a sought-after birthday gift from my hubby! Boy, was I excited!! Life is about to get easier! This may have to be a two-part blog!

I buy my Gnocchi packaged from the grocery store. It makes life simple and there are quite a few types of Gnocchi to choose from: corn, flour and rice. I like the flour ones the best. So I put them in a pot of salted boiling water for only a few minutes until they float. I heat another deep pan and I melt my salted butter — nothing beats salted butter! I pour in about 1/2 a cup of half and half cream and bring it to a boil, then I let it simmer. I grate about a cup of fresh Parmesan cheese and mix it into the cream. I then take the Bruschetta from the night before and add that to the cheesy cream sauce. After the Gnocchi is cooked, I drain it and mix it into the sauce. I plate the Bruschetta Gnocchi and top it with more freshly grated Parmesan cheese and cracked pepper and VOILA! Bruschetta Gnocchi!

It is decadent and creamy with a slight hint of tang from the tomatoes and fresh onion. After having this taste experience, you will want to make sure you have leftovers of THIS dish for lunch the next day — you will indeed be the envy of all your coworkers!

xo