Good gnocchi is absolutely worth a little of your time to prepare but I promise you, it will not fail to disappoint in flavour and pillowy texture. I wrote this vegetarian version because I love the combination of all these ingredients, but you could replace the asparagus with bacon & broccolini, mushrooms & pork sausage or whatever you want to clear out of your fridge. This gnocchi recipe will be one you use time and time again to spruce up any seasonal flavours.
SERVES 4
PREP 40 MIN
COOK 30 MIN
What you’ll need:
2 tbs olive oil
50g unsalted butter
3 x bunches asparagus, trimmed & sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 long red chilli, thinly sliced
parmesan cheese, to serve
sea salt & black pepper
Pangratatto
100g sourdough bread, crusts removed & torn into coarse breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tbs finely chopped continental parsley
Gnocchi
600g Nicola or Desiree potatoes, peeled & cut in half
50g finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
½ tsp salt
100g 00 flour, plus extra for dusting
What to do:
Preheat oven to 200°C Fan.
For pangratatto, combine bread, garlic, oil and lemon zest in a large bowl and transfer to a baking tray. Bake for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and crunchy. Set aside to cool, then stir through parsley.
For the gnocchi, cook potatoes in a large saucepan of salted boiling water until tender (about 20 minutes). Drain and pass through a potato ricer or mouli while still hot. Allow potato to cool to room temperature and cease steaming. Transfer potato to an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. On low speed, add the parmesan, egg and salt. Beat until incorporated then slowly add the flour until combined (alternatively, this step can be done by hand). Transfer dough onto kitchen bench and lightly dust with flour. Roll dough into 2cm thick logs, then cut into 2-3cm long gnocchi.
Heat oil and butter in a large frypan over medium heat. Add asparagus and cook for 3 minutes until crisp-tender. Add garlic and chilli and cook for a further 1 minute until fragrant. Turn off the heat.
Working in batches so as not to crowd the pot, cook gnocchi in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for about 1-2 minutes, or until they float to the surface (do not overcook or the gnocchi will disintegrate). Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the asparagus, along with ⅓ cup of the gnocchi water. Gently toss gnocchi and asparagus together until coated. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve topped with finely grated parmesan cheese and sprinkle over pangratatto.
