Potato Gnocchi With Basil Pesto Food

POTATO GNOCCHI WITH BASIL PESTO

Steps:

• Put about two inches of water in a large pot fitted with a steamer basket and place pot over high heat. Add potatoes, cover, and steam until fork tender, about 45 minutes. Drain well, then peel: Holding each potato with a thick, dry kitchen towel (they will be too hot to hold directly), remove the skin with a paring knife. Immediately pass the potatoes through a ricer. Spread out on a baking sheet and let cool completely.
• Turn out potatoes onto a work surface, then mix egg with one tablespoon salt and pour over the potatoes and add flour in 1/2 cup increments, up to 1 1/2 cups. Start to work the mixture with your hands and bring it together to form a dough; then gently knead 4 to 5 minutes, adding more flour (up to 1/2 cup total) as necessary to keep the dough from sticking, until dough is smooth and elastic. (To check, pinch off a piece and roll into a rope; it should not break apart).
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with a dry clean kitchen towel (or parchment paper) and sprinkle liberally with flour. Use a bench scraper to divide dough into four to six pieces. Begin gently rolling each piece under the palms of your hands into a rope, then continue rolling until it is ½ inch in diameter. Use the bench scraper to cut ropes crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Roll a cut side of each dumpling against the tines of a fork with your thumb (each piece will have ridges on one side and an indentation on the other). Set gnocchi in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. If not cooking immediately, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 hours.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add a generous amount of salt. Working in small batches, add gnocchi and cook until they float to the top, about 2 minutes. Remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon and gently shake off excess water before placing in a large pasta bowl. (If not serving immediately, plunge gnocchi into an ice-water bath to stop the cooking. Once completely cool, drain thoroughly, toss with a little extra-virgin olive oil, and refrigerate in a covered container for up to 3 hours. Reheat slowly on the stove, with the serving sauce or melted butter. Freezing gnocchi is not recommended.) Toss with pesto while boiling remaining gnocchi.
• Once the last batch has been boiled, drained, and tossed with pesto, divide gnocchi among bowls and serve at once, garnished with basil.

BASIL PESTO FOR POTATO GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Cover garlic in a small saucepan with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately drain and let garlic cool to room temperature.
• In a blender or food processor, pulse basil, garlic, pine nuts, and the cheese to incorporate. Pour in the oil in a slow steady stream, and pulse until combined; season with salt. Serve immediately or cover with a layer of oil and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze in small amounts for easy use.

POTATO GNOCCHI WITH PESTO

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, place the potatoes and cover with cold salted water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.
• Using a ricer, rice the potatoes onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in an even layer (don't pile the riced potatoes into mounds). Set aside to cool.
• Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and, using a rubber spatula, gently mix in the flour, yolks, salt, nutmeg, and pepper until just combined and a soft dough is formed. Don't over mix the dough or the gnocchi will be unpleasantly dense.
• On a well-floured work surface, turn out the potato dough, and divide into 6 equal parts. With the palms of both hands gently roll each part into a "rope" 3/4-inch in diameter. Using a sharp knife cut each "rope" on an angle into 3/4-inch-long pieces.
• Shape the gnocchi: Hold a salad fork in one hand so it rests on the work surface at a 45-degree angle with the tines curving up. Place a piece of the dough at the top of the tines and hold it in place with your free thumb. In one gentle motion, quickly press and roll the dough along the tines. The gnocchi should have a small dent in one side and shallow grooves on the other, perfectly suited for holding a sauce. Repeat with the remaining pieces and transfer to a lightly floured baking sheet pan. Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours before cooking.
• When ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a medium skillet, over medium-high, heat the heavy cream until just hot. Remove from the heat and whisk in the pesto. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the pesto mixture into a large bowl. Set aside in a warm spot.
• Add half the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook for 1 1/2 minutes or until they rise to the top. (Take care not to overcook the gnocchi or they can disintegrate during cooking.) Using a slotted spoon or strainer, transfer the gnocchi to the bowl with the pesto and toss. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi. If the sauce seems too "tight", add some of the cooking water a tablespoon at time until a saucy consistency is reached. Season with pepper to taste. Divide among warm bowls and serve immediately.
• In a food processor, combine the basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic, and salt and puree. While the motor is running, drizzle in the oil until incorporated. Season with pepper to taste. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator with a piece of plastic wrap placed right on the surface of the pesto to prevent discoloration, for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.
• Yield: about 2/3 cup

POTATO GNOCCHI IN PESTO CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add lots of salt to the boiling water to help flavor the gnocchi. While the water is heating, get a sauce pan and whisk together the pesto, cream, salt and pepper over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a low boil and be sure to stir frequently. Turn down the heat to a low simmer. Once your water pot is at a full boil, gently add in the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes. The gnocchi will float to the top when they are done. Drain. Add the gnocchi to the pesto cream sauce. Stir to combine. Top with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

SIMPLY POTATO GNOCCHI WITH PESTO AND PARMESAN #5FIX

Steps:

• In a medium mixing bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add potatoes and 1 2/3 cup flour. Stir until well combined and dough forms. Cover and refrigerate 15 minutes until chilled.
• Bring 2 quarts water to boil in a four quart pot.
• Use remaining flour to dust work surface. Transfer dough to surface, knead briefly adding flour if sticky.
• Divide dough into four portions. Roll each portion into logs 1/2" thick. Cut each log into 1/2" wide pieces and press tops with fork to flatten slightly.
• Cook in two batches, add gnocchi and cook 5 minutes until tender and floating to top of water.
• Remove with slotted spoon to clean bowl. Add pesto and 1/4 cup cheese, toss with spoon until gnocchi is covered lightly.
• Divide into equal portions into serving bowls, top with remaining cheese and serve.