Friday, August 27, 2010

Gnocchi with Pesto

There are some things that I am completely afraid to attempt to cook, but as of last week, there is one less of those things. Since forever, I was terrified of gnocchi, and it had nothing to do with the process of making the dough and cutting the pieces. I was afraid of the result. I remember an episode of Top Chef in which someone, and now I can’t remember who it was, made gnocchi. One of the judges, can’t remember which judge either, held one little dumpling on a fork above his plate and let it drop. It thudded to the plate like a heavy ball of paste. That’s what frightened me. If I was going to cook potatoes, rice them, make dough, cut it into little pieces, boil them, and make some kind of sauce for them, I wanted them to be light and pillowy and delicious. So, for my first foray into gnocchidom, I gathered several sources of information and learned that every cook seems to have a different opinion about what makes perfect gnocchi. Marcella, in Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, recommends boiling potatoes, and she boils them, skins them, and purees them in a food mill. Mario, in Malto Italiano, uses russet potatoes instead, but he also boils them, skins them, and purees them in a food mill. Anne Burrell, who calls her recipe "Light as a Cloud Gnocchi," uses russet potatoes, bakes them, skins them, and purees them in a food mill. Last, I had the good fortune to watch David Bull make gnocchi right in front of me at a Central Market cooking class that I attended earlier this summer, and his potato choice and cooking method were the same as Anne Burrell’s. So, three of them used russet potatoes, and it was split two to two for boiling vs baking. I nervously looked from one recipe to the next, comparing notes, biting my nails, and finally jumped in and made my first batch of gnocchi.

It killed me a little to ignore Marcella’s advice, but russet potatoes seemed like the fluffier choice, so that’s what I used. And, again, since baking seems to produce a fluffier cooked potato than boiling, I ignored Marcella and Mario and baked rather than boiled. I don’t own a food mill, so I used a ricer to smoosh the cooked potatoes. Then there are the eggs, if you’re adding eggs that is. Marcella recommends that you don’t, but everyone else was for eggs. Marcella explains that gnocchi from the Veneto are cloud-light and are made with no eggs. She goes on to say that gnocchi dough with eggs is easier to handle but can easily become rubbery. For my first time with this, I felt like I needed eggs if this was going to become a dough, so to the four big, riced potatoes, I added two eggs. David Bull used semolina flour while everyone else added all-purpose flour. I used all-purpose. You should start with half the suggested flour and work in the rest as needed. Two other last ingredients were parmigiano which Anne Burell added and I didn't and chopped chives which David Bull added to his dough and so did I. Everyone says to knead the dough gently and don’t over mix it. Anne Burrell leaves all the ingredients on a board and folds in the eggs and flour with a bench scraper. That seemed like a good idea, so I did that. Last, when you have a cohesive dough, you break off pieces, roll them into ropes, and cut the ropes into gnocchi. You can leave them like that or roll them on the back of a fork or along a cute gnocchi board to make grooves in them. You press with your finger as you roll so each piece has a dent one side and ridges on the other. I have to explain that I bought the cute gnocchi board months ago as a way of convincing myself to make gnocchi. It worked eventually. Once you have your finished gnocchi, you can cook them immediately or freeze them. I left mine in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before boiling, draining, and adding sauce.

For the sauce, I went back to Marcella and followed her instructions precisely for basil pesto. It’s pretty much what you would expect for pesto except that she adds three tablespoons of softened butter after she stirs in the cheese. It was a lovely pesto. She recommends it as one of the best sauces for potato gnocchi, and I’m a believer now too. In an attempt at balancing the meal, I sauteed some sliced summer squash and mixed that with the boiled gnocchi before topping it all with pesto. After all of that, was there a thud when a piece was dropped onto a plate? No, believe it or not, they were truly tender and delicate although not quite perfectly formed. I actually wondered if I didn’t knead the dough quite enough. I’ll work on that next time, since there will definitely be a next time, and I might even try boiling the potatoes and not adding eggs.



27 comments:

  1. I have never made gnocchi, but I am now inspired because of your delicious description of basil pesto with butter! I have never had them that way, and it sounds absolutely wonderful! Just proves that u have to go to the experts when you want to make a dish perfectly! (Emeril is the one I always check first!) Lovely post.

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  2. Fantastic! I'd love to have one of those boards...

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  3. Gnocchi can be a bit iffy at times & I'm come to decide its got to do with the time of year and the potatoes more than anything else. Your basil & pesto with butter looks wonderful and I want to give this a go and soon :)

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  4. This is something I've always wanted to try. I love it how you even have a gnocchi making tool :D
    Have a wonderful weekend daaahling.
    *kisses* HH

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  5. Good for you! I love when something seems so daunting and turns out to be great. The gnocchi board is awesome - who knew there even was such a thing?

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  6. Making gnocchi can really be stressful! I find ricotta gnocchi to be quite easy but potato gnocchi...the one time I made them it took. All. Day. These look fantastic though! I love that you infused them with pesto!

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  7. I really like the simplicity of gnocchi, although making your own can be tedious task, the result is pretty rewarding.

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  8. I'm sure my little girl will love this! Pesto is her favorite..

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  9. I have been afraid of this too! All of the gnocchi I have ever eaten seemed to be dense and heavy. These look absolutely delicious! Success! Loving the pesto with butter enriching it.

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  10. I have always wanted to make gnocchi but have not tried. Always think it's too challenging. Yours look so perfect and delicious. I should try today.

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  11. i've always been too intimidated (and lazy) to make gnocchi myself, so kudos to you for taking the plunge! heaven forbid all that effort result in little bricks that just sink to the bottom of the tummy and sit there. :)

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  12. Gnocchi with pesto sound fantastic! I definitely need that gnocchi board!

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  13. So awesome - they look amazing and I bet they were heaven on a plate. Gnocchi and pesto are a perfect flavor combination.

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  14. I am the exact same way as you... I too have a fear of attempting gnocchi! But, I have come a long way this past year as far as kitchen skills so hopefully one day soon I will work up the nerve. Good for you, it looks great!

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  15. yours gnocchi look fabulous with that pesto incorporated in it!

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  16. I've also been trying to pluck up the courage to make gnocchi for some time. (We're all such nervy cooks!). Such is my fear of failure I'm going to wait until the kid is back at school and the husbeast has gone back to work and then I'm going to make some in secret. If it all goes to hell, then we can have pizza for tea.

    Yours looks great though, well done.

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  17. Wow! Fantastic, Lisa! I tried making gnocchi once and I think I was simply too impatient and they turned out horrible! Yours are perfect! And I love that gnocchi board. Fun! Great job, Lisa, now I'll have to find the courage again!

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  18. Hi first time in your space.Very unique recipes I found here.Would love to follow you.

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  19. Those look wonderful, Lisa. I've never made gnocchi which is odd because I love it so much. And you even have the gnocchi board!

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  20. So pretty! Homemade gnocchi is the best!

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  21. I, too, was impressed when the guy made gnocchi in an hour on "Top Chef.'' I've been too antsy to attempt potato gnocchi, but have made ricotta gnocci before, which is not nearly as tricky to do. I highly recommend that for folks like me who are gnocchi-challenged. ;)

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  22. It's so great to read this post, as gnocchi has always been one of those things I've been terrified of cooking as well, but you've just convinced my to give it a try!

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  23. Lisa, I am terrified of ricotta gnocchi, the potato kind I've faced before and turned out ok (but I never did the beautiful ridges like you did, I guess I'm too lazy... )

    Congrats!

    So, when are you going for the croissants? :-)

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  24. Oooo...I haven't made gnocchi in such a long time. I need to get me some potatoes asap!!!!

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  25. Brave lady. I have made them exactly once. They turned out ok. Not great. I decided for all the work (not hard but time consuming) I would buy them from now on. Maybe if I had a cute little board (love that!) I would be more likely to try them again. You cross reference just like I do!

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  26. Do you know how much i love pesto. This is love!

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  27. LOL.. at least you overcame your fears with fantastic results (even if not formed). I don't think I would ever try to make gnocchi at home more after reading the Top Chef episode :-)

    i am love with the sauce/pesto.

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