“Acting rather fresh
While being rolled,
You slip through my fingers
As I try and get a hold.
Splash! a jump into water
You float to the top,
Seasoned with sauces
And easy to pop.
Melt in the mouth
You give my taste a song,
Potato in a dumpling,
Oh how can you go wrong!“
For the Gnocchi
1 cup whole wheat flour (atta)
1½ potatoes (large), boiled
1 egg
For the sauce
1 cup mixed peppers (red/green/yellow), finely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 green chili, chopped
1 tablespoons grated cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon canned tomato paste
½ teaspoon red chili flakes
½ teaspoon dried basil
Salt & pepper to taste
Coriander to garnish
To make the Gnocchi: Peel the potatoes and mash them using a fork. Make sure there are no large pieces left. Break an egg and mix it well into the potatoes. Slowly add the flour and work your way into the dough using your hands. Potatoes have a lot of water content, so make sure no additional water is added to make the dough. Keep kneading the mixture till it is smooth, homogenous and can be rolled. Add more flour if needed, or if the mixture is still wet. The quantity of flour can differ due to different sizes of potatoes used.
Once kneaded, break the dough into 5-6 equal sizes. Roll out each part into a thin long pastry, and cut into 1 inch small pieces using a knife. Do this for all the parts. Keep the pieces flat on a greased or floured plate so they do not stick to each other.
Boil 3 cups of water and 2 tablespoons salt in a pot. Add the raw gnocchi pieces to it and stir so they do not stick to each other. Gnocchi cooks very quickly, so once the pieces float to the top, it’s cooked. Remove from the pot and keep aside.
(You can also freeze the pieces of uncooked Gnocchi and store them up to 2 months. To use, simply drop the frozen pieces into boiling water and cook as above)
To make the sauce: Heat oil in a pan. Add the garlic and cook till its brown. Stir in the peppers, green chili, chili flakes, salt and pepper and cook on medium flame till the peppers are tender and start to brown. Add the tomato paste and basil, mix well, and cook for another few minutes, or till the tomato is cooked. Remove from heat.
Put 10-12 pieces of gnocchi in a plate. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of sauce on top. Garnish with cheddar and fresh coriander.
This recipe is linked to the Hearth & Soul Hop #51