A classic dish, therefore there are many disagreements about how it should be cooked, despite its relatively uncomplicated nature. I am certainly not an Italian nonna so am I even qualified to step into the debate? So many questions for such a simple dish: Waxy or floury spuds? Egg or no egg? Which type of flour? Boiled or baked potatoes? The debates rage on!
This recipe used Picasso potatoes, which are on the waxier end of the scale. They were boiled before combining with flour and a single egg to make the dough. This home cook thought they were delicious, but for the sake of scientific endeavour, I will try baking the potatoes as this will reduce the water content and hopefully give a dryer, firmer gnocchi at the end.
One thing I am sure of, is use as little flour as you need, as more flour reduces the potato flavour, so add a little at a time until the dough is smooth, firm and pliable.
Please leave a comment if you have strong opinions about the finer points of making authentic gnocchi or, like me, have fun experimenting until you get the outcome that is right for you – that’s when you know it’s right!
Enjoy.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...Ingredients
- 500g potatoes
- Approximately 150g of plain flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- Salt and pepper
- For the pesto:
- 2 or 3 big handfuls of fresh basil leaves
- 80g pine nuts
- 50g grated pecorino cheese
- 2 cloves garlic
- 100ml olive oil
Instructions
First, peel the potatoes, slice into 2cm chunks and boil in salted water until just cooked.
Drain the potatoes and push through a potato ricer.
Add 100g flour to the mashed potatoes and one beaten egg.
Mix the flour into the potatoes, adding more flour as needed until the mixture resembles dough. Don't overwork the mix; stop when it is firm yet pliable, like a bread dough.
Chop the doughball into 3 pieces and roll each piece out into a sausage shape around 4cm in diameter. Cut chunks from the sausage to form lovely, pillow-shaped gnocchi.
Press the back of the gnocchi with a fork to create some ridges that sauce will cling to. Set aside until you are ready to cook, they only take 2 minutes in boiling water.
Now, make your pesto: simply put all the ingredients into a food processor, toasting the pine nuts in a dry pan first. Give a good blitz, adding olive oil as you go and occasionally scraping it from the sides of the processor to make sure it is evenly mixed. Add the olive oil gradually until you have the texture that you want and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Finally, plunge the prepared gnocchi into boiling, salted water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain and mix well with the pesto, serving with a few pine nuts and grated pecorino over the top.
Notes
If you don't have a ricer, a masher will work but put a bit of hard work into the mashing for a smooth, non-lumpy result. Don't be limited to pesto with gnocchi! Any sauce works well, from a cheese sauce to a tomato sauce or even a flavoured butter. Parmesan can be used instead of pecorino for the pesto.
Brina
September 2, 2020 at 12:57 pmDelicious recipe! 👏