This dish originally from Italy is usually made with potato, flour and egg, although it is also usually prepared with other ingredients in different countries. In any case, there are many sauces that we can prepare to accompany this traditional dish, with tomato sauce and pesto sauce being the most popular.
We will first explain how to make gnocchi or gnocchi and then how to make the sauce to obtain a totally homemade dish that is much more nutritious and healthy. Read on and find out how to make gnocchi al pesto, it’s much easier than you think!
Ingredients to make Gnocchi al pesto:
- 2 medium potatoes
- 1 glass of strong flour
- 1 egg (better if it is half an egg or a small egg)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 sprig of fresh basil
- 1 handful of shelled pistachios
- 1 handful of walnuts
- 1 glass of olive oil
- 1 small glass of cold water
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 piece of Parmesan cheese
- 1 piece of ranchero cheese
- 1 pinch of ground black pepper
How to make Gnocchi al pesto:
- Cook the potatoes with their skinin a bag in the microwave for 8 minutes. You can also roast them in the oven wrapped in aluminum foil.
- Although they can be cooked in water, using this method the potatoes absorb too much water and the gnocchi can be softer.
- Peel the potatoes and mash themto form a smooth puree.
- Then, make a volcano and add half an egg and a pinch of salt.
- We recommend using half an egg or a small egg to prevent the dough from falling apart.
- Knead with your hands and add half a glass of flour. Mix this ingredient well to continue with the gnocchi al pesto recipe.
- Keep kneading until you have moldable dough.
- Once achieved, extract portions of dough, form churroswith them approximately the thickness of a thumb and cut pieces of 1/2 cm.
- Mark the gnocchi with the tips of a fork to form the drawing that characterizes them so much.
- Trick:The grooves that will take are so that the sauce is better impregnated.
- Put the gnocchi in a pot with waterand let it boil for a few minutes. When you see that they float, remove them with a slotted spoon because it will mean that they are ready.
- It’s time to prepare the pesto sauce! Since there are many sauces that exist, we are going to make a somewhat different version of the traditional pesto sauce to give the dish a little twist.
- However, to make the pesto sauce with pine nuts, which is the original, you can always consult this other recipe.
- That said; chop a handful of shelled walnuts with another handful of also shelled pistachios.
- Reserve the nuts and now chop the basilinto not very small pieces. To do this, you can do it by hand or use a blender.
- Slowly add the olive oil to bind it with the basil, then cold water. Mix well to form the sauce that will allow us to obtain the gnocchi al pesto.
- Grate or grind the cheese piecesand crush a small garlic clove.
- Mix everything together with the rest of the ingredients, that is, with the ground nuts and the chopped basil, and add a little ground black pepper.
- It is not necessary to add salt because the cheese already gives it that point.
- Store the sauce in the refrigerator, tightly covered, until serving with the gnocchi.
- Trick:Add the sauce to the pasta but do not heat so that the cheese does not melt.
- Clever! You can now serve your gnocchi al pesto recipe. Ideally, heat the gnocchi and serve the sauce on top without heating it, since then you run the risk of melting the cheese and altering the texture.