La Bocca in Tempe, AZ

As much as I and my husband enjoy cooking and eating at home, the occasional night out to eat can be often fun and more enjoyable. Namely, because the food is usually great and you don't have to deal with the timely consumption of doing dishes and preparing your own food.

We had just recently just came across this "gem" of a local Italian pizzeria/wine bar which gave me plenty of ideas of how to attempt to re-create their dishes if wanting to stay at home and cook; but, more so this place was so good it left me leaving with wanting to go back and try all of they food they offer.

The options are endless when ordering. This establishment offers both a seasonal menu as well as a chef's choice menu for the night along with the regular dining options. However, we took advantage of their Tuesday night deal of "buy one get one free" individual 12 inch pizza special.

The pizza menu provides a wide selection of offerings of their signature "pies" but there is also the option of creating your own. They offer such ingredients as shrimp, goat cheese, fresh onions and/or caramelized onions, spinach, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and/or fresh tomatoes and so on.

Let me be the first to say that the chefs in the kitchen do wonders with the pizza dough. (I am rather picky about the pizza crust)
It is thin, but not to thin. It is crispy on the outside but still chewy and soft on the inside. I holds up to the ingredients without becoming "soggy"...I love this crust!

I ordered the mushroom pizza which was delectable. It comes with mushrooms, goat cheese, baby spinach and a drizzle of white truffle oil and balsamic vinegar.

Gnocchi in a White Wine Mushroom Cream Sauce

I fell in love with a dish similar to this at a local Italian restaurant and wanted to re-create it at home. It is wonderfully rich and deceptively simple to make using fresh ingredients and store bought gnocchi.

Ingredients (serves approximately 4 to 6):

Gnocchi:
1 package of store bought gnocchi (approximately 1 to 1 and-a-half lbs.)
salted boiling water

Directions:
Boil Gnocchi according to package directions in salted water. Drain and just set aside in a colander.

Cream Sauce:
4-5 Tablespoons of butter
1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil
8 oz of sliced mushrooms *see note
3-4 Tablespoons of flour
1 clove of garlic, minced (or more to taste/preference)
1 and 1/2 cup of cream, or milk, half-n-half, 2% milk, whatever you drink or put in your coffee in the morning
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup dry white wine or more **see note
salt and pepper to taste
2 to 3 green onions, sliced
fresh basil leaves (for garnish, optional)

Directions:

Melt the butter in a deep skillet pan over low/medium heat. When the butter is melted, turn the heat up and add the olive oil.

Add the mushrooms and saute them until they are softened. Add the minced garlic. Continue to saute. Slowly add the flour and milk stirring slowly and gently to make a "roux". (Yes, it will look like slop, but it will thicken up, just patiently stir (occasionally every 5 minutes or so) so it doesn't
burn.

Add the cooked Gnocchi. Toss well. Add the Parmesan cheese and green onions. Toss all together until Parmesan has melted. Cover the pan until the sauce has thickened further and coated the gnocchi thoroughly over low heat. Keep stirring every so often or until ready to serve and keep on low/low-medium heat.

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Carefully, add the white wine and or/lemon juice stirring constantly to incorporate all the liquids and mushrooms.

Turn the heat down to low/medium low....keep stirring occasionally, or leave it alone and go watch TV, it doesn't matter.

Place all on a platter sprinkle some fresh basil (optional) over the top and serve with slices of fresh tomatoes, if desired.

*I like to use Portobella mushrooms or even better "baby Bella's" aka Crimini mushrooms; however, these can be rather pricey and regular white button mushrooms will work as well as canned mushrooms can suffice.

**depending on your taste...if you do not drink wine, lemon juice can substitute, but cut down the amount used drastically as lemon juice does not cook down its acidity as wine does so use your taste buds wisely. The white wine or lemon juice serves as a flavor enhancer of acidity to contrast the creaminess of the sauce. I prefer it this way, but let your palate judge. I would say for the recipe the 1/2 cup of wine would be equivalent to 1 to 2 teaspoons of lemon juice depending on how much of a tangy-ness you desire, just taste and go.

The Final Result! Yum!