Vegan Handmade Gnocchi w/ Blistered Heirloom Tomatoes + Basil Pesto
Difficulty: 4/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 1/3 (3 being spiciest)
Prep & Cook Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4
The Challenge: Handmade Gnocchi
Gnocchi. Heaven of pasta in my opinion. Well, if you want fresh gnocchi it nearly always comes with egg. :(
Dry gnocchi is pretty solid, but its not that pillowy / fluffy / magical melt in your mouth experience that handmade gnocchi is.
This dish will be 4/5 stars if you use a box, and there are plenty of vegan options. I use boxed gnocchi many nights. But if you want to go for 6/5 stars, the extra love will go a long way. Its actually really quite easy to make once you've done it the first time and is not as overwhelming as you might think.
There are only actually 3 ingredients to gnocchi - potato / flour / salt. Its really that simple. For the flour, try using patent flour over all-puprose. Why? Patent flour creates softer textures for that melt in your mouth feeling. The hard part is just the handmade aspect. We'll form the dough then handroll into "snakes" and then cut them apart. It cooks in about 90 seconds. YOU CAN DO IT AND IT IS WORTH IT
Plus, we combine it with my 8-Ingredient Simple Vegan Basil Pesto as well as delicious blistered heirloom tomatoes for an absolutely exquisite dish. You'll absolutely love it...I'm drooling just thinking about one of those pillowy clouds melting in my mouth with pesto and a burst of a cherry heirloom tomato.
Let's get into it!
Ingredients:
Handmade Gnocchi
- 2 large russet potatoes, washed
- 4/5 cup of organic flour (I suggest patent or all-purpose flour)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- extra flour for rolling
Blistered Heirloom Tomatoes
- 1 large shallot, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1.5 tbl olive oil
- 1 lb. of cherry heirloom tomatoes
- Spices: pinch of salt + pepper, 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1.5 tbl of balsamic vinegar
- fresh basil, optional
Other
- 1 cup of Vegan Basil Pesto
- fresh basil, optional
Equipment You'll Need:
Cutting Board . Sharp Cutting Knife . Measuring Cups . Measuring Spoons . Food Processor . Castiron Pan . Large Pot . Mixing Bowls . Surface for Flouring . Colander
Before You Cook:
- Wash and cut all fresh ingredients
- Heat oven to 385F
1. Place potatoes in oven after washed. Rub with a teeny bit of oil. Cook for about 55-60 minutes until fork soft in the middle. Once out of the oven, let it cool for 5-10 minutes, then peel off the skins. They'll come right off.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, heat olive oil for tomatoes in a castiron or large frying pan. Heat for 90 seconds and then add shallots + garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes before adding cherry tomatoes. Continue to cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side until it starts to brown and tomatoes start to break open a bit. Add in some fresh basil (optional) after removing from heat. Set aside.
3. While the potatoes continue to cook, make your pesto per the instructions from our basil recipe.
4. Once the potatoes are in a large mixing bowl and peels are off break it apart with a fork. Keep mashing the potato until all lumps are gone and the potato has become almost like mashed potato texture. Next, add in 1/4 cup of flour at a time and continue to mix with a fork. Once all the flour is in, add in the salt and continue to mix until all the elements are well combined. Remove from the bowl and form a large dough bowl in your hand. Place onto a floured surface.
5. Knead the dough ball with a bit of extra flour on the floured surface for about 60 seconds. Continue to knead if you feel any potato lumps. Once kneading is done, break off pieces and sprinkle the piece with a small bit of flour. Roll in your hand until you get a snake like piece. They should be about 1 inch in diameter and about 8-10 inches long. If the snakes are shorter or longer, don't worry. We are just doing this to evenutally cut them!
6. Using a sharp knife cut the snakes into pieces. I cut a small piece off on each end so that the pieces are all the same size. Make your cut about each 1 inch. This is your gnocchi pieces. You can use a fork to roll them and get the grooves, but I like it as just this pillow. The cuts and pressure from your knife gives it that pillow look.
7. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add 1/3 of the gnocchi you have to the pot. Cook for about 90 seconds and using a slotted spoon scoop out and put into a colander to drain. Add the next 1/3 and repeat twice. Once all the pieces are cooked and drained, transfer to a large mixing bowl.
8. Mix the pesto and blistered tomatoes in with your gnocchi. Transfer to a serving dish (if you fancy) or just serve in the mixing bowl. Add a bit of fresh basil and dig in. Enjoy!
