I made last weekend Citroenmelisse Gnocchi and they were amazing. I got Citroenmelisse, also known as lemon balm, from a garden centre and now I’m growing it in the window sill in the kitchen. Because it has a lovely lemony taste I thought I will use it in a very simple recipe, with gnocchi.
The gnocchi are shop-bought and, unlike other kind of pasta, these need only 2 minutes to boil. This means that, in total, making this dish takes 5 minutes! Isn’t that just great? You can mix the gnocchi or make them in different pans, it’s up to you. I know that next time I’m going to make them as a mix.

This is the lemon balm. As most plants from the mint family, this one too grows fast.

If you don’t have lemon balm or you can’t find it in supermarket, you can add a bit of lemon juice and, of course, some greens to make the gnocchi look better. I would suggest to use something like chives or dill. If you don’t have edible pansies you can garnish them with some fresh herbs. I have loads of pansies for salads and cooking, so I used those.

Citroenmelisse Gnocchi. Ingredients for 2 servings:

– 250g tomato gnocchi
– 250g spinach gnocchi
– a small bunch of citroenmelisse leaves
– 40g vegan butter
– salt
– black pepper, freshly crushed
– pansy for decor (optional)

Start by boiling the water. Toss in the gnocchi and boil. Meanwhile make the butter sauce by heating a pan over low to medium heat and adding the butter. When the butter is melted, toss in the chopped citroenmelisse leaves, and cook for a few seconds. Drain the gnocchi and add them to the pan. Add the salt and black pepper and stir. Toss for a minute or so.

The gnocchi are now ready to be served. Transfer them onto a plate, add the flowers or herbs, and enjoy. You can use gluten free gnocchi, as I did this time, or standard gnocchi, the process is pretty similar. I usually cook standard gnocchi, but these gluten free ones were with spinach and tomatoes and I wanted to try them. They are just as good, so well worth trying.