Gnocchi Carbonara with Scallops

Gnocchi carbonara with scallops.

A couple of weeks ago I shared the gnocchi from scratch recipe and teased you with the image from this recipe. The day I made this dish, I was looking for comfort food (there's been a lot of that this winter, brrrrr!) and I decided that carbonara was the way to go. I learned that you can freeze chunks of prosciutto -- especially if you plan to cook with it -- so I always have some on hand. I grabbed a chunk to thaw and got myself prepared to satisfy my crave.

Then, my friend Janna came by with some off-the-boat that morning scallops. (I get some of the best birthday presents!). Since I already had a crave to satisfy, and it would have been sinful not to prepare the scallops when they were as fresh as one could get, I took a trip down the rabbit hole.

Scallops sliced into medallions for sauteeing

Scallops just a bit golden but not overcooked.

deglazed skillet after scallops were cooked.

Ingredients at the ready for the carbonara

Egg yolks added to cream.

Egg yolks fully blended with cream.

Gnocchi and the spoon to strain them from the cooking water.

Water boiling with teh gnocchi added

Gnocchi floating at top to tell your they're ready.

Egg mixture mixed with pan juices, peas, and gnocchi

stir the scallops in to coat with the sauce

Stir in the Parmesan and pasta water to adjust consistency.

THE RECIPE:

2T olive oil

1t garlic powder

salt and pepper

1/2 lb scallops

1/4 lb prosciutto cut into bits

1 lb fresh frozen gnocchi

1c frozen peas

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1c heavy cream, half & half or whole milk

3 egg yolks (or equivalent in dehydrated yolks)

1c grated Parmesan

Rinse the scallops and slice them into 1/4" medallions and toss with the salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Heat the olive oil until shimmery

Stir-fry the scallops unit the edges get golden but don't overcook them.

Set the scallops aside and use the vegetable broth to deglaze the skillet and remove it from the heat.

Whisk the 3 egg yolks into the heavy cream until completely incorporated and set a pot of salted water to to boil.

I've discovered dehydrated egg yolks that I keep on hand for recipes like this. It helps me avoid yet another rabbit hole when I start to obsess about how to use leftover egg whites.

I measure according to the instructions here, so I added 3T of water to the heavy cream and 4-1/2T of the dried egg yolks and whisked until creamy but not whipped cream.

While the water is heating, return the skillet to low heat and whisk the cream and egg mixture into the liquid from the scallops, add the peas, and heat until it's just slightly warm so the peas thaw and turn off the heat.

When the water boils, add the gnocchi and gently stir frequently. When they rise to the top, they're done.

Using a slotted spoon, gently strain the gnocchi in batches to the skillet and turn the heat as low as it goes. Keep the pasta water in its pot.

Stir the pasta to get it all coated with the cream sauce.

Add the scallops back in stirring with gnocchi until warm.

Stir in the prosciutto and 1/2c of the cheese.

If the sauce feels too thick, add some of the pasta water to get the consistency you like.

Give it a few grinds of fresh cracked pepper and serve with the remaining Parmesan.