As with all home made pastas, making your own gnocchi can be either calmingly therapeutic or completely frustrating. It is a kneaded mess of mash potatoes, flour and oil. If you do not enjoy getting your hands dirty then have no fear – store-bought gnocchi is just as yummy. But once you have conquered your first batch you will start to see how many avenues you can go down with this recipe. For instance, why not try to replace half the potatoes with some mashed butternut or sweet potato. And there is always the addition Parmesan or blue cheese. Imagine gruyere and thyme gnocchi with a delicious cream-based sauce.
In this recipe I have baked the potatoes, but boiling and steaming them are also options. I prefer baked for the crispy flavour that comes through. And because I can bake them with some herbs and spices.
For the gnocchi
- 1 kg potatoes, peeled and cubed
- a dash of olive oil
- 1 tsp thyme leaves
- A good pinch of salt
- pinch finely ground pepper
- 1.5-2 cups of flour
For the cashew sauce
- 80g raw cashews (about half a cup), roughly chopped
- small handful coriander
- small handful flatleaf parsley
- 15ml tomato paste
- 60ml olive oil
- 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
- salt and pepper to taste
To make the gnocchi
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and place the potatoes, olive oil and thyme in an oven proof dish. Toss and coat the potatoes well. Cover the dish with foil- shiny side down. Bake in the oven until cooked through (soft enough to mash) but not too crispy. About 45 minutes.
Use a potato masher to mash up the the potatoes whilst slowly incorporating the sifted flour. Once you have a firm, but still a little sticky, mixture take out of the bowl and knead gently for 4-6 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Keep going until the ball is firm and dry to the touch.
Using your hands, shape the ball into a flattened square about 1cm thick. Now cut long strips also about 1 cm wide. Roll each strip into a “wormie” and cut into 1.5- 2cm peices. Take each peice and place on a fork. Press down gently with your thumb so that there is an indentation on one side from the lines of the fork and on the other side from your thumb. This action helps the gnocchi to hold onto the sauce, so don’t skip it.
Place on a lightly floured trays or plates and refrigerate if yoiu want to use them later. When you are ready to cook the little nuggets, bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Carefully place the gnocchi into the water and cook until they float to the surface. Once it has all risen, drain and reserve 1/4 cup of the water.
To make the cashew sauce
The great part about this sauce is that it is raw, you simply have to chop up all the ingredients, and toss through the drained, cooked gnocchi. (Reserve a 1/4 cup of the water when draining and toss through with the sauce.)
