Gnocchi with cavolo nero
Recipe no. 55 by Feisty Feast
»I love to make things from scratch and get myself deep into the process of cooking. Pasta is a favorite thing to make; I love the magic of watching two simple ingredients—eggs and flour transform into dough, which can then be formed into inexhaustible shapes and forms. Gnocchi is one of my all-time simple pasta, and I love to get guests involved. Nothing sets people at ease like working with their hands and participating.«
A seasonal green sauce that is versatile and as delicious as it is aesthetically pleasing. This is more of a concept of making a green sauce emulsion that you can use for Gnocchi or beans or whatever you like.
Recipe ( Serves four )
Gnocchi:
500 g potato
50 g Parmesan
200 g farina
1 egg
1 big tbsp of sea salt
Nutmeg
Sauce:
Big bunch of cavolo nero, spinach, wild garlic, or all three (cavolo nero can also be substituted for spinach or wild garlic)
2 cups of finely grated parmesan
Zest from one lemon
1 1/2 cups of olive oil
4 tbsp of butter
Salt + pepper
- 1. Boil the unpeeled potatoes in very salty water and let them cool down.
- 2. Wash cavolo nero and remove the stalks, fill a pot with salted water and blanch the greens with one clove of garlic for about 2-3 minutes. Reserve the salted green water. Plunge the greens into an ice bath and squeeze out excess liquid. Add the cavolo nero, garlic, Parmesan, lemon zest and 1 1/2 cups of olive oil to a food processor or blender and blend on medium, adding some of the salted green water to loosen the mixture. It should be a creamy, velvety texture, not watery or too stiff. Keep the sauce aside in a big mixing bowl.
- 3. Peel the potatoes by hand (this is my favorite part because the skins come off very easily after being boiled in the salty water). On a clean surface, make a mountain of flour and with a potato ricer, rice the potatoes directly on top of the flour. Add salt, a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, and an egg, and quickly incorporate the ingredients using your hands and a pastry wedge to help keep it all together. Knead the dough for no more than 5 minutes into a cylindrical shaped log. Slice a chunk of the dough and roll it out on a floured surface into a long log. Slice into small chunks and then roll into small round pearls. Place them on a floured sheet of baking paper. Roll out the rest of the gnocchi, setting aside on multiple sheets of baking paper.
- 4. Re-boil the salty green blanching water, adding more water if needed. Tip the gnocchi into the boiling water and wait until they rise to the top. Then, using a slotted spoon, transfer them to the bowl with the sauce and gently mix them with a rubber spatula. Add 1/4 cup of pasta water if necessary to loosen the sauce. Add a big pinch of Maldon salt, a few cracks of fresh pepper and an extra grating of Parmesan. Enjoy with a glass of chilled white wine.
About
Julia Khan Anselmo is an Amsterdam-based entrepreneur, creative director, event producer, host, stylist, designer, and cook. Her disparate yet intertwined skillset gives her a unique perspective on creating meaningful and memorable moments shared around food and conversations. Julia founded Feisty Feast, a global event series that creates creative culinary experiences and storytelling through food that celebrates women. When she isn't producing events or cooking something delicious at home in her FRAME kitchen, she travels to seek new inspiration for her womenswear brand LAASSO.
Photography: Lulu Verbeek
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