A Garden Recipe Idea from HowToGardenAdvice.com
I found this recipe in “Vegan with a Vengeance” (cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz) and just had to try it with potatoes and basil from my garden. We’re not really vegans, but I so love veggies that I was certain that she’d have some great recipes. I wasn’t disappointed. (My comments are in purple.)
Homemade Gnocchi Recipe
2 lbs russet potatoes, washed and scrubbed
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
Preheat oven to 400.
Bake potatoes until very tender. Cool completely. (I always bake extra potatoes. There are so many things to do with them (twice baked, hash, breakfast fries, etc.) – so they make a great leftover. And, if you have to heat the oven up, why not go ahead and make the most of it?).
Remove skins and place potatoes in large mixing bowl. Add olive oil and salt and mash very well. Don’t puree – just mash until they have very few lumps. Add the flour in handfuls and mix into potatoes. Once you’ve added half the flour, turn the dough onto a floured countertop and work it there. Keep adding flour and lightly kneading the dough until a smooth unsticky but not dry dough is formed.
Divide the dough into thirds and roll each portion into a rope that is about ½ inch thick. Use a pizza wheel or knife to cut the ropes into ¾” long pieces. Flour your hands and use your thumb to roll each piece gently down the tines of a fork. Each piece should be able to do about half a roll before reaching the end of the fork, so the final result should be that one side has your thumb indent, and the other the fork ridges.
(Note: Sorry Isa, I couldn’t quite get the hang of the “roll them on the fork” procedure. So, I just did the best I could. They turned out sort of like little flattened footballs. But, they look ok & tasted great!)
Sprinkle with flour and freeze any that you’re not using. (place on a cooking sheet lined with parchment paper, sprinkled with flour. Freeze for about an hour, then remove to freezer bags. This keeps them from sticking together.
To cook… bring large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water liberally and cook the gnocchi. Within 2 minutes they should rise to the surface. Let them cook another minute and then remove them with a slotted spoon. Transfer to a large plate so that they’re not putting weight on each other. Sauce them as soon as you can with a pesto sauce, simple tomato sauce or sauteed briefly with veggies.
(After the gnocchi were all made (but not boiled), I started the pot of water on high, so that it would be ready. Then I sauteed some onions, garlic, and then added zucchini & lemon pepper. When the veggies were nearly ready, then I dropped the gnocchi in the boiling water per the directions above. Once done, I added them to the veggie saute’ (along with finely chopped basil) tossed a little to coat, and sprinkled a little freshly grated Parmesan on top. Turned out delicious. And it looks much more inviting than the picture turned out. I’ll have to try to take another photo another day.)
Try adding 2 tbsp fresh herbs after mashing. Or Sun dried tomatoes, or spinach (cook and strain spinach first – press to remove water).
(I added freshly chopped basil this time! Next time, who knows?)
Note: Share your garden recipes (or your comments on these recipes) with your fellow gardeners by emailing them to: gardenrecipes@howtogardenadvice.com
Also, fresher is always better… better taste, and higher nutritional content. To learn more about how to grow your own produce to use in these (or your own) garden recipes, see also:
How to Grow Basil
How to Grow Potatoes
A Garden Recipe Idea from HowToGardenAdvice.com
