As the weather becomes colder, we look to delicious, hearty foods to keep us warm and satisfied through the fall and winter months.  One of my favourite cold weather dishes is gnocchi- an Italian potato-based creation that is deliciously dippable! Gnocchi is traditionally served with marinara sauce, but works well with any sauce. The menu featured today is starring one of my other favourite Italian classics: Pesto!

Pesto is a beautiful, herby blend of basil, cheese, and pine nuts. It is a traditional topper for pastas, but also works very well on top of meats and poultry. The beautiful thing about pesto is that the ingredients are very easily switched up. Sundried tomatoes or roasted red peppers add a completely new flavour element, and give the pesto a fresh new reddish hue. Similarly, the cheeses and nuts used can be changed also. Normally I wouldn’t stray too far from the use of parmigian in my pesto, the dry saltiness of the cheese is very complimentary to this sauce, but the addition of asiago cheese could also work well. For this particular recipe, I chose to replace pine nuts for walnuts, simply because that is what I had on hand. Pistachios also would have been fine to use. The use of any nut adds a richness and nutty flavour necessary for a good pesto, and each nut used adds a new dimension to the sauce’s flavour.

Home-made gnocchi is an impressive dish to serve. Much like home-made pasta, it is actually surprisingly easy to make, even though it has a reputation of being difficult and time-consuming. However, the difference between home-made gnocchi and store-bought gnocchi is obvious; once you’ve tried fresh gnocchi, you will not want to bother with store-bought ever again! The greatest benefit to making your own gnocchi, is that it is very easily frozen, and used again in the future as needed.

As with any other recipe, the ingredients of gnocchi can be easily changed. For a creative twist, to celebrate the arrival of fall, why not try using sweet potatoes? The use of sweet potatoes is something I’ve come to love in gnocchi- the end product is a beautiful orange gnocchi with a much richer flavour than its original counterpart. The key to good gnocchi is patience. If you don’t like the idea of spending a full two hours preparing the gnocchi from start to finish, feel free to do it in steps. The potatoes can be roasted and mashed ahead of time, and stored in the fridge until ready to use. If you’re preparing for a large dinner gathering, and want to save yourself some preparation time, the entire process of making the gnocchi can be done days in advance, and the gnocchi can be saved in the freezer until ready to boil for service.
Once the gnocchi have been boiled, top with pesto or marinara sauce and sprinkle with cheese.
I know you will love my gnocchi with walnut pesto! This can be served on its own as a vegetarian meal, or serve it as a side with some grilled chicken breasts.  Happy cooking! Eat well, live well and be well!

Gnocchi with Walnut Pesto

Walnut Pesto Sauce

You will need:

• 1 ½ cups Olive oil
• ¼ cup Walnuts
• ¾ cup Fresh basil leaves
• 4 large cloves Garlic, chopped roughly
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• ½ cup Asiago cheese, grated

Method:

1. In a 350F oven, lightly toast the walnuts, about 4-5 minutes. Keep an eye on them, to make sure they don’t burn!
2. Place one third of the olive oil into a blender or food processor. Add all the other ingredients, and begin lightly blending the ingredients together.
3. Add the remaining olive oil, and pulse until completely smooth.

Gnocchi

• 1 kg russet potatoes
• 2 Eggs
• 2 tsp Nutmeg
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 ½ tbsp butter
• 1 ¾ cups Flour

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, roast the potatoes for about 1 ½ hours, until soft and tender when tested with a fork.
3. Using a knife, cut the potatoes in half length-wise, and remove the insides, discarding the potato skins.
4. Place the potatoes into a large mixing bowl, and begin mashing. If you prefer, you can blend the potatoes until smooth in your food processor.
5. Incorporate the eggs, nutmeg, butter, and salt, mixing lightly.
6. Add almost all the flour, leaving about ¼ cup out. Mix together lightly, until a soft dough is formed. If needed, add the remaining flour to adjust the consistency. Remember that gnocchi is delicate, and you don’t want to over-mix.
7. Roll the potato mixture into a long snake-like tube, and use a knife to cut the gnocchi into 1-inch pieces.
8. In a large pot, bring 8 cups of salted water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-low.
9. Working in batches of about 10-12 gnocchi (work in batches so not to over-crowd your pot), simmer the gnocchi for 3-4 minutes. The gnocchi should double in size, and rise to the surface of the water when it is finished.
10. Serve immediately, with tomato sauce or pesto. Gnocchi is also delicious with butter and cheese.