Browned Butter Gnocchi with Chargrilled Broccoli & Lemon Zest
With plenty of time on our hands and even more potatoes piling up in our pantry, we’ve been having some fun in the kitchen making gnocchi. Don’t worry, we’ll definitely be serving them on the menu next season, but for now, with winter on it’s way, we’re enjoying our fair share as there’s nothing more comforting than a warm bowl of pillowy dumplings doused in butter and covered in a cloud of Grana Padano, right?!
Gnocchi have always been a staple of “La Cucina Povera” (peasant cooking) in Italy because they’re extremely economical to make. But don’t let their humble beginnings fool you, as they can equally be a real showstopper if made by hand and served with a jazzy sauce.
Here we like to finish them off in the pan with browned butter, so that they develop a beautiful golden crispy crust. To balance out the rich buttery sauce and all that Parmesan, we pair them with chargrilled broccoli and fresh lemon zest.
I hope you have as much fun and satisfaction as we’ve had making them & even more eating them. They truly do melt in your mouth. Happy cooking in lockdown everyone!
Nicola and Annie xx
Serves 2
Ingredients:
Gnocchi
500 g starchy potatoes, preferably similar sizes
1 egg yolk
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
50 g 00 flour, sifted
1 splash olive oil, for frying
1 knob butter, for frying
To Serve
1 head broccoli
Olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano
Freshly grated lemon zest
Extra virgin olive oil
Method
To prepare the gnocchi, put the whole potatoes into a saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes or until tender but still firm.
Strain the potatoes and set aside until they’re cool enough to handle, before removing their skins.
Press the potatoes through a potato ricer onto a plate.
Add the egg yolk to the potatoes and season well with salt and pepper.
Using your hands, start to evenly incorporate the egg yolk into the potatoes.
Sprinkle the flour over the potatoes and gently scrunch the mixture together before transferring to a work surface. You may need to lightly flour your hands and work surface.
Gently knead the mixture to form a soft pliable dough ball. Be careful not to overwork the dough, otherwise you’ll end up with tough gnocchi.
Cut the ball in half and roll each half into a ball. Cut those in half and gently roll each quarter into a 2cm thick log. You may need to cut the logs in half so that they don’t break when rolling.
Cut the logs into 3cm long nuggets.
Lightly press down with your thumb to indent each nugget so that the sauce will adhere to the gnocchi.
Transfer to a plate a set aside whilst you prepare the broccoli.
To prepare the broccoli, bring a saucepan of water to the boil and light the barbeque.
Cut the broccoli into florets and blanch for 2-3 minutes or until al dente.
Strain the broccoli, drizzle with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.
Grill the broccoli on the barbeque until charred.
Whilst the broccoli is cooking, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil.
Once the water has come to the boil, gently drop the gnocchi into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until they float to the surface. You may need to do this in two batches as not to overcrowd the pan.
Whilst the gnocchi are cooking, heat a glug of olive oil and a knob of butter in a non-stick frying pan.
When the gnocchi float to the surface, strain well with a slotted spoon and transfer to the frying pan.
Pan-fry until golden and crispy on both sides.
Transfer to a plate, add the broccoli and top with freshly grated Grana Padano and lemon zest and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Tip: Gnocchi freeze really well, so if you’re pushed for time, it’s a great idea to make a big batch, free-flow freeze them and store them in the freezer. Cook them straight from frozen; they’ll just take a little longer to float to the surface.