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Gnocchi with Garlic Scape Pesto
Gnocchi are a classic Italian potato-pasta dumpling, served as a first course or side dish often with tomato sauce, pesto, or butter and sage. They’re perfect for people who can’t decide which they love more, pasta or potatoes. When storebought, gnocchi tend to be very dense, but homemade, they’re light and pillowy. This simple recipe for gnocchi showcases the delicate sweetness of russet potatoes and pairs well with the garlic scape pesto recipe also included below. Scapes are the spicy shoot that grows up from the center of the garlic plant in late spring and early summer.
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Gnocchi are originally from Northern Italy, where growing conditions are said to create excellent potatoes. Russet potatoes are starchy and work well for gnocchi. Most recipes have you peel the potatoes after they’re boiled to avoid a lot of water being absorbed into them, but I haven’t found this to be an issue as long as your potato pieces are not small and you don’t overcook them. When done, the potato should be fork-tender but not falling apart. You can also leave the riced potatoes uncovered for 5-10 minutes to evaporate off some steam before adding flour. Some people also recommend using older potatoes for gnocchi because they are drier.
Riced potatoes
In my review of gnocchi recipes, it seemed that English-language recipes use far less flour than Italian and South American recipes. (Between 1880 and 1920, millions of Italians immigrated to South America, and gnocchi are very popular in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.) The difference is significant, with the English language recipes using a ratio of about 8-to-1 by weight uncooked potato versus flour, and the Italian and South American recipes using a ratio of 4-to-1 or even 3-to-1 (like the Pasta Grannies recipe linked to below). Whether to include eggs and and how many varies widely. In the past, I’ve always made gnocchi the “less flour” way and was eager to try a new dough ratio.
Creating ridges
This recipe has a 4:1 potato-to-flour ratio and no egg. It is inspired by recipe of Domenica from Montese, Italy, featured in the YouTube video below and in the cookbook Pasta Grannies: The Secrets of Italy’s Best Home Cooks. Meanwhile the garlic scape pesto recipe was inspired by a NYTimes Cooking recipe and some reader suggestions in the comments. One benefit of this pesto, apart from its delicious flavor, is that it stays bright green in the refrigerator.
Pesto ingredients
Gnocchi with Garlic Scape Pesto
Homemade gnocchi are pillowy soft and they showcase the flavor of potatoes in a fun dumpling-pasta format. Try them with our tasty garlic scape pesto recipe or any sauce of your choosing, including simple butter and herbs. This recipe serves six or more so feel free to freeze some of the uncooked gnocchi and the extra pesto.
Ingredients
Gnocchi (4:1 ratio of peeled uncooked potato to flour)
Garlic Scape Pesto (makes almost 1 pint of pesto)
Instructions
Gnocchi Dough Prep
Garlic Scape Pesto
Cooking and Serving
Photo Gallery
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All Purpose Flour
Ankarsrum Mixer and Universal Kitchen Appliance
Ankarsrum Vegetable Slicer and Shredder Attachment
$179.95Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls — Set of 3
$39.99Eppicotispai Garganelli and Gnocchi Paddle
$6.00Original price was: $6.00.$4.50Current price is: $4.50.Flour Duster
Dr. Oetker Dough Scraper Successor
Bench Knife by Lamson — Walnut Handle
USA Pan Half Sheet Pan
$23.00Breadtopia’s Choice Kitchen Scale
$18.00Gnocchi with Garlic Scape Pesto