Langostino Gnocchi

I encountered it at Trader Joe's and paused. What is it—shrimp, or lobster, or something in between? Curiosity tends to decide these things for me. A bag of Trader Joe's langostino tails made its way into my freezer. Curiosity, as usual, won.

Ceramic bowl was wheel-thrown and glazed by me.

According to Gemini, langostino in Spanish means little lobster, though it is not the same species as lobster. They are considered prawns. That clarifies the name, if not the instinct of what to do with it. Unfamiliar with the ingredient, I turned to something safer—a dish that could absorb uncertainty—and remembered a pack of frozen gnocchi I had picked up at the Hollywood Farmers' Market. I hesitated when I bought them. I prefer small gnocchi. These were not small. They were, in my world, enormous.

I was told to keep them frozen until they went into boiling water, which meant there was no cutting them down to size. Good gnocchi is hard to come by. I ignored the hesitation and bought them anyway. Armed with frozen langostino and gnocchi, I put on my apron for Langostino Gnocchi recipe testing.

INGREDIENTS

[serves 2]

seven ounces of gnocchi, cooked al dente

four ounces of langostino tails

one-third cup of canned crushed tomato

one ounce of Pecorino Romano, crumbled

six tenths ounce of Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

one tablespoon of unsalted butter

a half teaspoon of minced garlic

sea salt

Heat a Dutch oven over high heat. Once heated, add butter, then add minced garlic as the butter browns. Add crushed tomato and langostino tails. Reduce the heat to medium-high and sauté for about a minute. Reduce the heat to medium, add gnocchi, and continue to sauté for a minute. Once the gnocchi are coated with the sauce, add both cheeses and sauté for about a minute before reducing the heat to low.

Continue to sauté until the cheese melts, making sure the gnocchi do not stick to the Dutch oven. Turn off the heat and taste. While I didn’t add salt, add a pinch or two to your taste and stir. Remove from the heat, serve, and enjoy while still hot.

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