FOOD FRIDAY - GNOCCHI

“I think careful cooking is love, don't you? The loveliest thing you can cook for someone who's close to you is about as nice a valentine as you can give.” - Julia Child
 
A nice Winter recipe to warm you up now that the temperature is falling in the Southern Hemisphere. If you don't have time to make your own gnocchi, you can buy fresh ones from your local deli.
 
Pan-Fried Gnocchi with Leeks and Spinach
Ingredients - Gnocchi450 g potatoes
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp salt, or more to taste
Freshly ground white pepper, to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1 1/3 cups flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon olive oil
 
Method
Place potatoes in a large pot. Add water to cover by 5 cm. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a skewer, about 40 minutes. Drain. When cool enough to handle, peel and mash potatoes using a potato ricer. Set aside on a baking sheet until completely cooled.
 
On a cool, smooth work surface, gather potatoes into a mound, forming a well in the centre. In a small bowl, stir together oil, egg, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour mixture into well. Using both hands, work potatoes and egg mixture together, gradually adding 1 cup of flour. Scrape dough from work surface with a knife as necessary. This process should not take more than 10 minutes. The longer the dough is worked, the more flour it will require and the heavier the dough will become.
 
Dust hands, dough, and work surface lightly with some of the remaining flour. Cut dough into 6 equal portions. Using both hands, roll each piece of dough into a rope 1 cm thick. Continue dusting as long as dough feels sticky. Slice ropes at 1 cm intervals. Indent each piece with thumb, the tines of a fork, or the back of a semicircular grater to produce a ribbed effect.
 
Boil the gnocchi in plenty of salted water. You’ll know it’s done when it floats to the surface. Drain and set aside.

Ingredients for sauce
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp oil
1 leek, washed, finely chopped (white part only)
Baby spinach leaves, washed chopped
Sundried tomatoes, chopped
Mixed herbs
Vegetable stock
Salt, pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese
 
Method
Heat the butter in pan over medium heat until foaming. Add the gnocchi and cook, stirring, for 5-8 minutes or until the gnocchi are golden. Remove from pan, and keep warm, leaving as much butter as you can in the pan.
 
Put oil in the pan and heat. Add the leek, sauté until soft and add the spinach, tomatoes and herbs. Stir until heated right through. Add enough vegetable stock to cover the bottom of the pan and stir through the vegetables. Add salt and pepper as required.
 
Add the gnocchi and stir through. Serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese.
 
This post is part of the Food Friday meme,
and also part of the Food Trip Friday meme.