Gnocchi with Roasted Red Peppers and Pesto
Gnocchi are one of those things that blur the line between pasta and dumpling. Being Italian in name, gnocchi seem to fall under the heading of pasta, but by their nature of ingredients and preparation, share every other similarity with the dumpling family. Gnocchi share more in common with perogies than ravioli or tortellini, even though those are both technically dumplings as well. Strangely, people would typically call those pasta as well, even though you would be hard pressed to find someone that would call a wonton pasta instead of a dumpling, despite being essentially the Chinese equivalent. What a strange world we live in.
In any case, gnocchi are inexpensive and delicious. Although they are often simply boiled and sauced, gnocchi can also be fried to give them a crispy outer texture and soft interior. Typically, gnocchi will be served with pesto, such as this recipe that I share with you, a basic tomato sauce or brown butter with sage, but they go well with virtually anything. They also make a great addition to soups, such as minestrone, finished in the broth at the last minute.
The trick to making tender gnocchi is to use a gentle hand and to avoid adding too much moisture. As you may have seen in a recent episode of House M.D. the trick is to bake the potatoes instead of boil them (thus removing moisture instead of introducing it), leaving the gnocchi fluffier and noticeably more tender. The addition of egg yolks is not a requisite ingredient, but a common one. I prefer adding Pecorino Romano, because it is a saltier cheese than Parmigiano-Reggiano, and the salt really helps to boost the flavor of the potato without stealing the show, but use whatever you prefer, or simply salt itself, when making the gnocchi.
To roast red peppers at home, simply turn your oven broiler on to maximum temperature and place red peppers within a few inches of the broiler on a baking sheet. Char (and I do mean char) the entire outside of the peppers, then transfer them to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam. Once cooled to the touch, rub the skins off with your fingers, slice open and remove the seeds. If you have a gas stove, you can do this directly over the fire, turning them with tongs as required. Canned red peppers are often a suitable substitute, just make sure to look for acidic ingredients (such as vinegar or citric acid) as this will make them a more pickled than smoky addition. Commercially prepared pesto is probably the best bet this time of year, as basil quality wains outside of the summer months.
- 1 pound starchy potatoes (such as Yukon gold or russets)
- (optional) 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, finely grated
- All-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 roasted red peppers, sliced into strips
- 1/4 cup pesto sauce
- Juice of one lemon
- Pecorino Romano, to taste
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Pierce the potatoes with a fork and bake them in their skins on a baking sheet until very tender, about an hour.
- Cool the potatoes to the touch, remove the skins and pass them through a food mill or mash to a fine consistency.
- Stir in the egg yolk, if using, and Pecorino Romano. Using a wooden spoon, delicately incorporate just enough flour to form a cohesive, slightly sticky dough.
- Divide the dough into four equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, being delicate and careful not to overwork, roll out the portion of the dough into a rope approximately 1/2″ thick. That, or sip some tea while the children of the house get to work on making “snakes”.
- Using a sharp knife, slice the rope (or snakes) into 3/4″ slices. If you like, gently roll the gnoccho (that’s a single gnocchi) along the twines of a fork. The depressions in the gnocchi will become future homes for sauce.
- Repeat with the remaining dough. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the gnocchi on it, as close as you can get them without touching. Place this in the freezer. Once the gnocchi are frozen, you can remove them from the tray and place into a freezer bag that will keep for at least 3 months without any significant detriment to their quality. Since they are already frozen, they will not stick to each other. Otherwise, just get the water to the boil, and cook them for dinner already.
- To prepare the gnocchi, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi, giving them a gentle stir to prevent them from sticking. Once they’ve floated to the top, they are finished cooking, and can be removed with a slotted spoon and transferred to your sauce.
- To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large pan until hot, then add the roasted red peppers. Heat through, then add the pesto sauce. When the gnocchi are done, transfer them to the pan with their clinging, starchy water and cook for an additional minute. Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and stir in a desired quantity of grated cheese. Simple and delicious.
This recipe makes enough for four people as an accompaniment or two as a hearty main course (it is a pound of potatoes, after all.)