Pesto Gnocchi

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Gnocchi Ingredients:

  • Scant 2 pounds of starchy potatoes (like Yukon Golds), 2 large Russets
  • 1/4 cup egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour
  • fine grain sea salt
                      Directions:
                      Prepare the Potatoes

                      • Fill a pressure cooker 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.
                      • Remove the potatoes from the water one at a time with a slotted spoon. Drain any excess water. 
                      • Place each potato piece on a large cutting board and peel it before moving on to the next potato. Save the potato water. 
                      • Also, peel each potato as soon as possible after removing from the water. 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 deconstruct them one at a time on the cutting board using the tines of a fork - mash isn't quite the right term here. Run the fork down the sides of the peeled potato creating a nice, fluffy potato base to work with. Don't over-mash - you are simply after an even texture with no noticeable lumps.
                      • Let the potatoes cool spread out across your work surface for ten or fifteen minutes. Long enough that the egg won't cook when it is incorporated into the potatoes.
                      Make the Gnocchi

                      1. Pull the potatoes into a soft mound. Drizzle with the beaten egg and sprinkle 3/4 cup of the flour across the top.  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. The dough should be moist but not sticky. It should feel almost billowy. 

                      2. 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.

                      3. To shape the gnocchi hold a fork in one hand (see photo) and place a gnocchi pillow against the tines of the fork (or gnocchi board), cut ends out. With confidence and an assertive (but very 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). 

                      4. Set each gnocchi aside, dust with a bit more flour if needed, until you are ready to boil them. 

                      Boil the Gnocchi and Serve

                      1. Now that you're on the final stretch, either reheat your potato water or start with a fresh pot (salted), and bring to a boil. 

                      2. 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. 

                      3. Fish them out of the water a few at a time with a slotted spoon ten seconds or so after they've surfaced. 

                      4. Gently toss with more sauce or pesto. Don't overdo it, it should be a light coverage. Serve immediately, family-style with a drizzle of good olive oil on top.

                      PESTO INGREDIENTS
                      • 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

                      Chop Ingredients

                      1. 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". Transfer the pesto "cake" to a small bowl (not much bigger than the cake).

                      Form a Paste

                      1. Cover the pesto "cake" with a bit of olive oil. It doesn't take much, just a few tablespoons. At this point, you can set the pesto 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. 

                      Prep time: 1 hour 20 minutes

                      Serves: 6-8

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