Gnocchi Recipe and Pesto from 101Cookbooks

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Gnocchi Recipe Francesca's mom seemed disappointed we didn't have a potato

ricer or potato mill on hand, but said that mashing the potatoes by hand would

be fine. I've done it many times by hand now, and it is fine. For those of you

wanting to do some of the preparation in advance, in one test I cooked and

mashed a batch of potatoes a day ahead of time, put them in a covered bowl

overnight, and incorporated the egg and flour the next day when I was ready to

cook the gnocchi - no problems.

Scant 2 pounds of starchy potatoes (2 large russets)

1/4 cup egg, lightly beaten

scant 1 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour

fine grain sea salt

Fill a large pot with cold water. Salt the water, then cut potatoes in half

and place them in the pot. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until

tender throughout, this takes roughly 40-50 minutes.

Remove the potatoes from the water one at a time with a slotted spoon. Place

each potato piece on a large cutting board and peel it before moving on to the

next potato. Also, peel each potato as soon as possible after removing from the

water (without burning yourself) - I've found a paring knife comes in handy

here. Be mindful that you want to work relatively quickly so you can mash the

potatoes when they are hot. To do this you can either push the potatoes through

a ricer, or do what I do, deconstruct them one at a time on the cutting board

using the tines of a fork - mash isn't quite the right term here. I run the fork

down the sides of the peeled potato creating a nice, fluffy potato base to work

with (see photo). Don't over-mash - you are simply after an even consistency

with no noticable lumps.

Save the potato water.

Let the potatoes cool spread out across the cutting board - ten or fifteen

minutes. Long enough that the egg won't cook when it is incorporated into the

potatoes. When you are ready, pull the potatoes into a soft mound - drizzle with

the beaten egg and sprinkle 3/4 cup of the flour across the top. I've found that

a metal spatula or large pastry scraper are both great utensils to use to

incorporate the flour and eggs into the potatoes with the egg incorporated

throughout - you can see the hint of yellow from the yolk. Scrape underneath and

fold, scrape and fold until the mixture is a light crumble. Very gently, with a

feathery touch knead the dough. This is also the point you can add more flour (a

sprinkle at a time) if the dough is too tacky. I usually end up using most of

the remaining 1/4 cup flour, but it all depends on the potatoes, the flour, the

time of year, the weather, and whether the gnocchi gods are smiling on you. The

dough should be moist but not sticky. It

should feel almost billowy. Cut it into 8 pieces. Now gently roll each 1/8th of

dough into a snake-shaped log, roughly the thickness of your thumb. Use a knife

to cut pieces every 3/4-inch (see photo). Dust with a bit more flour.

To shape the gnocchi hold a fork in one hand (see photo) and place a gnocchi

pillow against the tines of the fork, cut ends out. With confidence and an

assertive (but light) touch, use your thumb and press in and down the length of

the fork. The gnocchi should curl into a slight " C " shape, their backs will

capture the impression of the tines as tiny ridges (good for catching sauce

later). Set each gnocchi aside, dust with a bit more flour if needed, until you

are ready to boil them. This step takes some practice, don't get discouraged,

once you get the hang of it it's easy.

Now that you are on the final stretch, either reheat your potato water or

start with a fresh pot (salted), and bring to a boil. Cook the gnocchi in

batches by dropping them into the boiling water roughly twenty at a time. They

will let you know when they are cooked because they will pop back up to the top.

Fish them out of the water a few at a time with a slotted spoon ten seconds or

so after they've surfaced. Have a large platter ready with a generous swirl of

whatever sauce or favorite pesto you'll be serving on the gnocchi. Place the

gnocchi on the platter. Continue cooking in batches until all the gnocchi are

done. Gently toss with more sauce or pesto (don't overdo it, it should be a

light dressing), and serve immediately, family-style with a drizzle of good

olive oil on top.

Serves six.

 

How to Make Pesto like an Italian Grandmother One key to perfect pesto is

chopping all the ingredients by hand, preferably with a sharp mezzaluna or

knife. I gave my double-bladed mezzaluna to a friend last year because it was

collecting dust (I also didn't like how ingredients would get stuck between the

blades), but have a large half-moon shaped pizza cutter that works like a dream.

Francesca's mom even approved and said it cut her chopping time in half. This

pesto will keep a bit in the refrigerator, but it really hits its peak when

served soon after it is made.

The technique here is: chop a bit, add some ingredients, chop some more. I

think part of the reason she does it this way (instead of chopping everything

all at once) is because some things get chopped into oblivion, while some not as

much - it encourages specturm of cut sizes throughout the pesto contributing to

the overall texture. All told, the chopping took me a leisurely twenty to thirty

minutes, I wasn't in any particular rush.

You'll notice this recipe doesn't have any added salt (just the saltiness from

the cheese), make sure your pasta water is well salted if you are going to use

this pesto on pasta or the overall flavor profile will fall flat. Also, be sure

to adjust for seasoning before serving. With food this simple, you need to get

the seasoning right.

1 large bunch of basil, leaves only, washed and dried

3 medium cloves of garlic

one small handful of raw pine nuts

roughly 3/4 cup Parmesan, loosely packed and FRESHLY GRATED

A few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

Special equipment: large mezzaluna for chopping

Start chopping the garlic along with about 1/3 of the basil leaves. Once this

is loosely chopped add more basil, chop some more, add the rest of the basil,

chop some more. I scrape and chop, gather and chop. At this point the basil and

garlic should be a very fine mince. Add about half the pine nuts, chop. Add the

rest of the pine nuts, chop. Add half of the Parmesan, chop. Add the rest of the

Parmesan, and chop. In the end you want a chop so fine that you can press all

the ingredients into a basil " cake " - see the photo up above. Transfer the pesto

" cake " to a small bowl (not much bigger than the cake). Cover with a bit of

olive oil, it doesn't take much, just a few tablespoons.

You can set this aside or place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to

use it. Just before serving give the pesto a quick stir to incorporate some of

the oil into the basil. She occasionally thins the pesto with a splash of pasta

water for more coverage, but for our gnocchi this wasn't necessary.

Makes about 1 cup.

 

 

 

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