GNOCCHI WITH PEAS, MASCARPONE & BLACK GARLIC

Serves 2

1 black garlic clove, peeled

25g butter

1 tbsp olive oil

250g store-bought potato gnocchi

125g mascarpone

120 g frozen peas (no need to defrost)

Good pinch crushed chilli flakes

100 g baby spinach leaves

3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve

2 tbsp toasted pine kernels, or toasted hazelnuts, chopped l Mash together the black garlic and butter and set aside. l Heat the oil in a small frying pan and fry the gnocchi until golden – about 5 minutes. Lower the heat and add the mascarpone to melt, along with the peas and crushed chillies. Bring to a gentle simmer, then stir in the spinach leaves, just until wilted. l When hot through and the spinach has wilted, stir in the black garlic butter and grated Parmesan, and serve sprinkled with toasted pine kernels and extra grated Parmesan, if you wish.

There are many different sorts of garlic available now, including elephant garlic, super-strong garlic and smoked garlic. I haven’t been able to get too excited about these, but my trusty book editor Julia Charles tipped me off about black garlic, which is in a different class from the rest.

This is an aged garlic, with a sweet, mellow flavour and striking jet-black colour. If you have a slow cooker you can make it yourself, but a fortnight is a long time to have garlic fumes drifting round their kitchen, so I prefer to leave that to the experts and buy a head when I need it. It makes a great flavoured butter, as here, but has an affinity with eggs and cream too.

ORLANDO MURRIN is a MasterChef Champion, writer and broadcaster. See Orlando in the La Española Chefs Theatre on Friday 16 June at 3pm.

Two’s Company Simple by Orlando Murrin, published by Ryland Peters & Small (£20) Photography by Orlando Murrin © Ryland Peters & Small