This is the perfect weeknight dish based on pantry staples and fresh herbs! You can use cauliflower gnocchi or regular. You can add cheese or not – it’s all up to you.
Place all ingredients except gnocchi in a food processor and pulse until chunky and almost smooth.
Cook gnocchi according to package.
Toss with sauce and serve.
Serve 4.
The cauliflower at the farmers market has been so beautiful that I’m on a bit of a cauliflower kick! This recipe is easy and oh so tasty – how can you go wrong by adding a little parm?
Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
3 onions, sliced
8 thyme sprigs
4 garlic cloves, quartered
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 c Parmesan, grated
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Toss cauliflower, onion, thyme, garlic and olive oil together on a large rimmed baking sheet, spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Roast, tossing occasionally, until almost tender, 35-40 minutes.
Sprinkle with 1/2 c grated Parmesan, toss to combine, and roast until cauliflower is tender, 10-12 minutes longer.
Serves 4 – 6
This one comes from Patricia Well’s The Paris Cookbook, she never disappoints! Fresh figs, almonds, creme fraiche – what’s not to love, I did cut the sugar down a bit – hey figs are pretty sweet on their own. This one is best served warm, but ya can always give it a quick warm up in the oven.
Ingredients:
2/3 c cream fraiche or heavy creme
4 springs thyme
4 eggs
1/3 c sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 c ground almonds
2 lb figs, stemmed and a “X” cut halfway through
Thyme Sugar:
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp sugar
Preheat oven to 375. Spray or butter a 10 1/2 inch round baking dish.
In a small sauce pan, combine creme fraiche and thyme over moderate heat until tiny bubbles form around the edge. Stir, remove from heat and allow to steep for an hour.
In a bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk, beat eggs, sugar and salt at high speed until thick about 2 minutes. Stir in almonds, extract and thyme cream.
Pour 1/2 in the pan. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
Arrange figs over the batter. Pour remaining batter over figs and bake 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine sugar and thyme in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.
Scatter thyme sugar over the gratin and bake for 10 more minutes until golden brown.
Remove from oven. Serve warm.
Serves 8.
This is a super simple and tasty lamb dish!
Ingredients:
1 TBSP fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tsp Thyme, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSP olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 rack of lamb, frenched
Preheat oven to 375.
Combine herbs, oil and garlic in a small bowl. Salt and pepper the rack, rub with herb mixture. Place fat side up on a baking sheet. Bake for 35 -40 minutes until 145 for rate.
Remove from oven, let rest 5 minutes, then slide.
Serves 2.
This recipe was inspired by a recipe I came across in Food & Wine Magazine. I love the combo of mushrooms with gnocchi and fresh thyme. I have a massive skillet that I use for dishes like this. If you don’t have a massive skillet – cook the mushrooms in a couple batches.
Ingredients:
3 TBSP butter
3 TBSP olive oil
1 1/2 lbs mixed wild mushrooms, cleaned and cut into bite size pieces
Salt and pepper
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp thyme, minced
3/4 c dry white wine
1 package of gnocchi
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
In a large skillet, melt the butter and olive oil, add the shallots and garlic, cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for 8 – 12 minutes over medium high heat until the mushrooms start to get crispy. Add the wine and thyme and cook until most of the wine is gone. Drop the heat to low.
Cook the gnocchi according to the package. When they float, remove and add to the mushrooms.
Serve topped with some fresh parmigiano.
Serves 4.
Okay, I admit it, I have a squash blossom problem. These little fritters are amazing, instead of frying them oil I cooked them on the griddle, which lead to a lighter version. I served with a little sour cream on the side.
Ingredients:
20 squash blossoms, chopped
1 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP basil, chopped
2 tsp thyme
3 TBSP Parmesan
1 egg
3/4 c milk
Combine all ingredients except blossoms and herbs in a bowl, whisk until well combined. Stir in herbs and squash blossoms.
Heat griddle over medium heat and cook fritters about 3 minutes per side.
Serves 4.
Patricia Wells comes up with the best recipes – seriously never had a bad one from her!! This is another winner! The thyme sugar is what really takes this over the top! I’m going to use it my ice tea too!! It’s gluten free!!!
Ingredients:
2/3 c creme fraiche
4 springs thyme
4 eggs
1/2 c sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c finely ground almonds
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 lbs figs, stemmed with X cut half way through the figs
Thyme Sugar
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp thyme leaves
Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 10 1/2 inch round baking dish.
In a small pan, combine thyme sprigs and creme fraiche. Cook over moderate heat until it starts to bubble. Cover and remove from hear. Let steep for 1 hour. Remove stems.
Whisk together eggs, sugar and salt at high speed for 3 minutes until think. Stir in almonds, vanilla and creme fraiche.
Pour 1/2 the batter into the pan and bake for 10 minutes.
Arrange figs over the batter. Pour remaining batter over fruit and bake 30 minutes.
Prepare the thyme sugar by combining sugar and thyme in a spice grinder and grinding to a fine powder.
Remove from oven, sprinkle with sugar and bake 10 minutes.
Serves 8.
This is my take on a recipe I found on Food & Wine. I love using zucchini as pasta! What really makes this dish is the lemon zest and tarragon.
Ingredient:
2 lbs small zucchini, julienned on a mandoline lengthwise
3 TBSP butter
6 scallions, sliced thin
Salt & Pepper
2 TBSP tarragon, chopped
1 TBSP lemon zest
1 TBSP fresh thyme
4 oz pecorino grated
In a large skillet melt butter over med high heat, add zucchini, scallions and salt & pepper. Cook until softened, about 8 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients, stir to combine and serve.
Serves 4.
This is my version of scampi – I used Langostines instead of shrimp, because that is what I had in the freezer.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic or two heads of green garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP parsley, minced
2 TBSP tarragon, minced
2 TBSP thyme, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 TBSP butter
1/4 c white wine
1 lb Langostines, cooked
In a large skillet over medium low heat oil. Add garlic and shallots stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, add wine of the pan starts to dry. Stir in 2 TBSP of wine and 1/2 lemon juice, stir scrapping bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Cook 5 more minutes. Add butter, rest of wine & lemon juice, stir until butter is melted, add Langostines and herbs, cook 2 minutes or until heated through.
Serves 4.
6 WW PP per serving.
Fall means yummy squash! This week my favorite farmer had a couple beautiful acorn squash. After scouring recipe sites, this is what I came up with. Super easy and amazing!
Ingredients
2 acorn squash, halved lengthwise, seeded
2 TBSP olive oil
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
2 TBSP honey
2 tsp chili flakes
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Place acorn squash halves, cut side up, on rimmed baking sheet. Spray with olive oil.
Whisk oil with remaining ingredients in bowl; divide glaze among hollows of squash halves. Brush glaze over cut surfaces, leaving excess glaze in squash hollows. Bake until squash are very tender and brown, brushing cut surfaces every 15 minutes with glaze in squash hollows, about 1 hour.
4 servings
3 WW PP per serving.
cookinwithchris Blog 