Gnocchi al Pesto
If you know me you know that I absolutely love making gnocchi. Both the vegan (eggless) and the normal version (we also added the eggless option below). Gnocchi are definitely one of the easiest types of pasta to make and you can even make them without any specific tools.
This Gnocchi al Pesto recipe is one of my favourite ones to make as I love Pesto alla Genovese and the gnocchis really absorb it well.
Prep Time: 20 Min
Cooking Time: 40 Min
Ingredients for the gnocchi (4 people):
Potatoes - 1kg
White Flour - 300gr
Egg - 1
Salt - max 15 gr
If you prefer your gnocchi to be eggless:
Potatoes - 1kg
White Flour - 350gr
Salt - max 15gr
For the Pesto (4 people):
Basil - 80gr (the leaves should be small) the quality of your pesto will greatly depend on the quality of the basil you purchase. Make sure it has a nice smell and looks fresh
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 70gr (you can always add some if you feel like the pesto is too thick)
Parmigiano Reggiano - 60gr - 6 Tbs (grated) I definitely recommend buying a good piece of Parmigiano and grating it yourself
Pecorino Cheese - 20gr - 2 Tbs (if you don’t want to buy pecorino just for the pesto you can add a bit more Parmigiano instead)
Pine Nuts - 1 Tbs - this is a very important ingredient in this pesto
Garlic - 2 Cloves
Salt - a sprinkle
How to:
To prepare the potato gnocchi start by boiling the potatoes: place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with plenty of cold water. From the moment the water is boiling, count about 30-40 minutes, depending on their size; do the fork test and if the fork easily enters the middle then you can drain them. Peel them while they are still hot and immediately mash them on the flour that you have poured on the pastry board.
Then add the lightly beaten egg together with a pinch of salt and mix everything with your hands until you get a soft but compact dough. Remember that by working them too much, the gnocchi will become hard during cooking, so just knead the dough.
Take apart of the dough and spread it with your fingertips to obtain small loaves, 2 cm thick; to do this, help yourself by flouring the pastry board, occasionally, with flour. In the meantime, cover the remaining dough with a tea towel to prevent it from drying out.
Then cut the loaves into chunks and by pressing lightly with your thumb, drag them on the gnocchi row to obtain the classic shape. If you don't have the gnocchi row, you can use a fork and drag them on the prongs; also in this case, use the flour to avoid sticking. As you prepare the potato gnocchi, place them on a tray with a lightly floured cloth, well spaced from each other. If you intend to cook them, you can pour them in boiling salted water; as soon as the gnocchi come to the surface they are considered cooked and therefore ready to be drained and seasoned.
While you are cooking the gnocchi we can make the pesto! The original way of making the pesto genovese is to start crushing the garlic and salt in a mortar (made of marble preferably). You then add the pine nuts and keep crushing everything with the pestle until you have a creamy consistency. You the add the basil and slowly add in the olive oil as well, finishing with the pecorino and parmigano. This way of making pesto will definitely give you the creamiest results and it is the recipe that is closest to tradition. Since not everyone has a mortar and pestle at home you can also use the “easy” way of putting everything into the mixer and voilà your pesto is ready to be served.
Drain the gnocchi, add the pesto and serve. Sprinkle some parmesan on top.