Dish of the Week: Gnocchi Nicoise

This weeks dish is Gnocchi Nicoise, a dish that I found in my Food Network Magazine.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces bacon, diced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 pound coarsely ground beef (look for "chili grind")
2 tablespoons brandy or red wine
3 shallots, chopped
1 cup diced carrots
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 15-ounce can plum tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 1-inch strips orange peel
2/3 cup nicoise olives, pitted and chopped
1 package (about 1 pound) vacuum-packed gnocchi

Directions
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and garlic; cook until the bacon starts to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the ground beef; cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Add the brandy, shallots, carrots, celery and tomato paste; cook until the vegetables soften, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Crush the tomatoes into the pan with your hands and add any juices from the can. Stir in the broth, bay leaf, orange peel and olives. Bring to a simmer and lower the heat; cover and cook 20 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat and bring to a boil to thicken the sauce.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil the gnocchi until one floats to the top, about 1 minute. Drain immediately to prevent the gnocchi from becoming mushy. Remove the orange peel and bay leaf from the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Toss the gnocchi with the sauce.

The Verdict:
The Doc gave this dish a solid 4 stars even though he is not a huge fan of olives. I personally love them, though they could be omitted and it would still taste great! It just wouldn't be nicoise then! I couldn't find the nicoise olives so I used kalamata olives instead (gaeta olives would work as well). I also used frozen gnocchi because that is what I found at my local supermarket. Just keep in mind it takes more than a minute to cook! This makes the perfect dinner for a cold winter night!