Gnocchi with taleggio, pears and speck.

Prepare the ingredients.

1. Peel the garlic and cut into quarters, peel the pears and cut them into cubes and remove the skin from the taleggio and cut it into pieces too. Finally, if you have a larger piece of speck or pancetta, cut it into small pieces, cubes or juliennes.
2. Put a pot of water on to boil for the gnocchi. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to a boil again.

Make the taleggio sauce.

1. While you wait for the water to boil, heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet add the garlic and once it starts to soften, add the pieces of pear. Sauté the pear until it starts to soften and brown and then add the pieces of speck. Cook the speck until it starts to brown slightly.
2. Add the pieces of taleggio (keep a few for serving) and stir over a low heat until the cheese melts. Add a little milk or gnocchi cooking water to dilute the sauce, maybe ½ a cup. But add more if you need to. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper according to taste.

Cook the gnocchi, finish and serve.

1. If using fresh potato gnocchi, cook them in the boiling salted water for just a couple of minutes. Frozen gnocchi will need longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the cheese sauce. Mix everything together carefully and serve immediately with a few more pieces of taleggio on top.
2. If you prefer to bake before serving, transfer the gnocchi and taleggio to an oven dish. Sprinkle the top with grated parmigiano or grana and bake in a preheated oven at 180°c (356°F) until the gnocchi start to brown.