Gnocchi with Peas and Pesto

Spring!

Everybody’s talking about it. I have been doing my best to soak up all the sunshine, listen intently to all the birds chirping, and to be inspired by the blooms bursting forth in all their glory. Inspiration – that’s the theme here. I need some. February can be a hard hole to climb out of, and then March – iffy. So what to do? Challenge thyself. With a project. With gnocchi.

Gnocchi – dreamy, pillowy gnocchi.  Despite the fact that many competition cooking shows have tried to convince me that, “It’s too tough to attempt! So much can go wrong!” I had to ignore the warnings and give it a try. It was a bit of a personal quest. So I turned to Lidia Bastianich, because, who else? The question that plagued me was “do I really need a potato ricer?”. I researched and found some who said that you could make gnocchi with a box grater, but then I thought about how much I really like my fingers and decided to just go ahead and buy a ricer. I found a small, inexpensive one for $15 at a local kitchen store and hoped it would pay off.

It did.

Does it take a long time to make? That’s what some friends have asked. I don’t really think so. It was very zen.

And since it wasn’t quite green outside yet, I put the green on the plate. Inspiration is like that. Sometimes you just gotta take it where you can get it.

Do not be daunted. Be inspired! Make the gnocchi. Seize the Spring!

Gnocchi with Peas and Pesto

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

Pesto recipe:

(I think pesto is really something you can just eyeball and taste as you go until it’s the way you want it, but here is a good place to start)

2 cups of fresh basil

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup grated parmigiano cheese

2 tbsp pine nuts or walnuts

2 cloves garlic

salt to taste

In a food processor, chop basil, pine nuts, and garlic. Add cheese, salt and olive oil and blend until smooth. Add more olive oil if desired

Gnocchi recipe  (from Lidia Bastianich):

3 large baking potatoes

1 large egg

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup grated parmigiano cheese (optional)

2 cups all-purpose flour

Boil potatoes with their skin on. As soon as possible after removing from water, peel the potatoes. You can try using a grater, but it’s almost easier just to carefully peel them with your fingers. The skin will easily peel away. Immediately run the potatoes through the ricer and lay out in an even layer to cool. Getting the potatoes riced while they are still hot will allow the most steam to escape = drier potatoes = better gnocchi.

Beat the egg and salt in a small bowl.

Gently form cool potatoes into a mound and make a well in the center. Pour the egg mixture into the well and gently mix together with both hands. Add the cheese if using and then gradually add flour to form the dough. You probably will not need all of the flour. I don’t even think I used half. The dough should be smooth and sticky. Be careful not to overwork the dough – if you add flour too gradually and knead the dough too much, it will become overworked and heavy.

Cut the dough into 6 pieces. Use the palms of your hands with your fingers flexed backward and gently roll the dough into a rope. Slice the rope into 1/2 inch pieces.

The next part is tricky.

Hold a fork with tines perpendicular to the countertop. Gently roll the pieces of dough down the fork tines with your thumb. This will make those nice grooves in the dumplings. If you can’t get the hang of it, don’t worry about it. Just make a dimple with your thumb and be done with it.

Place the dumplings on a floured kitchen towel as you go. Once you finish making all the dumplings, you will need to cook the gnocchi right away or freeze it. If freezing, leave it on the towel on the tray and place directly into the freezer to harden. Once frozen, divvy up into freezer bags for later use.

Warm your fresh or frozen peas using a method of your liking.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.

Drop gnocchi into the pot. When they float, they are done.

Melt a tablespoon or two of butter in a skillet over medium heat, add gnocchi to brown very slightly, add pesto and stir to coat, stir in peas and serve. (Don’t leave this mixture on the heat too long, you are just trying to bring it all together, not cook it any more.)

Recipe note:

This pesto recipe serves about two as an entree and about 4 as a side dish.

This gnocchi recipe makes a lot of gnocchi. I didn’t count how many. You’ll have some leftover to freeze. Just be happy about.

You can also make this with my Kale Pesto recipe.

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Gnocchi with Peas and Pesto

Course Main Dish

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings 4 with plenty of gnocchi left over to be frozen for later use

Ingredients

Gnocchi (adapted from Lidia Bastianich)

• 3 Russet potatoes large
• 1 egg large
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Pesto

• 2 cups fresh basil
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp pine nuts or walnuts
• kosher salt to taste

Peas

• 1 cup peas fresh or frozen

Instructions

1. Place potatoes into a large stockpot of cold water with skins on. Bring to a boil and cook until just soft enough to pierce with a knife.
2. As soon as possible after removing from water, peel the potatoes. You can try using a grater, but it’s almost easier just to carefully peel them with your fingers. The skin will easily peel away. Immediately run the potatoes through the ricer and lay out in an even layer to cool. Getting the potatoes riced while they are still hot will allow the most steam to escape = drier potatoes = better gnocchi.
3. Beat the egg and salt in a small bowl
4. Gently form cool potatoes into a mound and make a well in the center. Pour the egg mixture into the well and gently mix together with both hands. Add the cheese and then gradually add flour to form the dough. You probably will not need all of the flour. The dough should be smooth and sticky. Be careful not to overwork the dough – if you add flour too gradually and knead the dough too much, it will become overworked and heavy.
5. Cut the dough into 6 pieces. Use the palms of your hands with your fingers flexed backward and gently roll the dough into a rope. Slice the rope into 1/2 inch pieces.
6. The next part is tricky. Hold a fork with tines perpendicular to the countertop. Gently roll the pieces of dough down the fork tines with your thumb. This will make those nice grooves in the dumplings. If you can’t get the hang of it, don’t worry about it. Just make a dimple with your thumb and be done with it.
7. Place the dumplings on a floured kitchen towel as you go. Once you finish making all the dumplings, you will need to cook the gnocchi right away or freeze it. If freezing, leave it on the towel on the tray and place directly into the freezer to harden. Once frozen, divvy up into freezer bags for later use.
8. Warm your fresh or frozen peas using a method of your liking.
9. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop gnocchi into the pot. When they float, they are done.
10. Melt a tablespoon or two of butter in a skillet over medium heat, add gnocchi to brown very slightly, add pesto and stir to coat, stir in peas and serve. (Don’t leave this mixture on the heat too long, you are just trying to bring it all together, not cook it any more.)
11. This pesto recipe serves about two as an entree and about 4 as a side dish. This gnocchi recipe makes a lot of gnocchi. I didn’t count how many. You’ll have some leftover to freeze. Just be happy about it!

Pesto

1. In a food processor, chop basil, pine nuts, and garlic. Add cheese, salt and olive oil and blend until smooth. Add more olive oil if desired.