Gnocchi in sage butter sauce
Gnocchi (pronounced as nyokey)is a thick soft pasta that may be made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, flour and eggs, flour, eggs and cheese, potato, breadcrumbs or similar ingredients.
I am a die hard fan of MasterChef Australia and have seen contestants talking about and making a lot of gnocchi. It never really inspired me to try making them at home, until I watched this one episode of Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Cookery show where he teaches how to make his recipe in minutes. I followed his recipe except for the eggs and yet they turned out fluffy and tasty
Try this at home, if it's a weekend and you are in for some action
What you'll need: (serves 3)
2 large floury potatoes
50g ricotta cheese (optional;grated processed cheese will also do)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
100g plain flour
1 thyme sprig, leaves only
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
6-7 cherry tomatoes
2 slices of lemon
Slices of lemon
For the sauce:
Olive oil, for frying
Freshly ground pepper
7-8 cherry tomatoes halved
3-4 tbsp butter
7 - 8 Sage leaves
Zest of 1 lemon
How to:
Boil the potatoes in their skins until tender. Allow them to cool.
Peel the flesh and grate. Mix in the ricotta cheese, thyme leaves, a pinch of salt and pepper, chili flakes and the flour. Combine the mixture with floured hands. Work until a smooth dough has formed. (Be careful not to overwork it, though.)
Divide dough into two and roll into cylinder shapes of 1.5cm thick. Cut into 1 cm pieces and place on a floured tray. Press with a fork to create the distinctive gnocchi indentations.
Add the gnocchi to a large pan of boiling water which has a pinch of salt and olive oil. Stir the mixture slowly to stop sticking together. Simmer for 1½-2 minutes, until they start to float. Drain and leave the gnocchi to dry for 1-2 minutes
Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add a little olive oil and butter. As the mixture becomes hot add fresh sage leaves. Once the sage leaves turn crisp toss in the sliced lemon, cherry tomatoes and gnocchi to the pan with a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for 30 seconds and remove from heat
