gnocchi pesto

dinner
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

ever since buying fresh pesto from olives gourmet grocer i have been spoiled into not wanting to use canned pesto. the other night, i made fresh pan-seared gnocchi with pesto, balsamic mushrooms, bell peppers & toasted pine nuts.

for pesto, puree in a food processor the following. i try not to do it for too long so the individual ingredients are somewhat distinct.
5-8 cloves of garlic
3 cups basil
1/3 cup olive oil

i sauteed some sliced red onions until tender, then added mushrooms and cooked for about 5-10 mins. i added balsamic vinegar and a dash of tamari and cooked for 15 min. in a separate pan, i pan-seared the gnocchi, which came from trader joe's for 10-15 min until lightly browned. i added chopped red bell peppers to the gnocchi and cooked for 5 min. then i added pesto and salt to taste and cooked while stirring for 10 min. lastly, i add cooked mushrooms, toasted pine nuts and parmesan cheese before serving.

the vibrancy of the green pesto is amazing and reminded me of astroturf, except much better for you.