The Parsons Table Recipe

POTATO & SOFT HERB GNOCCHI WITH WILD GARLIC & PARSLEY PESTO, RICOTTA CHEESE

POTATO GNOCCHI

4 medium Maris Piper potatoes
2pc egg yolk or 60g pasteurized egg yolk
100g plain flour or gluten free can be utilised as a substitute 30g Parmesan – finely grated
2tsp chives – chopped
Finely grated zest from 1/2 lemon
Additional flour for dusting and shaping the gnocchi

Method
Wash the potatoes. Pierce the skins all over, using a fork. Bake in a preheated oven until cooked – approximately 1hour 20 minutes at 170 c. Place a pan of lightly salted water on to boil. Once soft remove potatoes from the oven and cut in half lengthways. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Using a table spoon scoop out the soft flesh into a mixing bowl and mash.

Add the flour, egg yolks, parmesan, chives and lemon zest. Using a wooden spoon or spatula work the ingredients into the potato until a stiff paste. This should take no longer than 1-2 minutes. Be careful not to over work it as it will affect the texture of the finished gnocchi. Divide the potato mix into 8 even pieces.

On a flour dusked surface roll each piece of gnocchi dough into the approximate thickness of wine bottle corks. Gently lower the rolled gnocchi into the boiling salted water. Simmer until the gnocchi has risen to the surface. Allow to float for 1 minute. Remove from the water using a spider or slotted spoon.

Lay the cooked gnocchi onto a lightly oiled tray and allow to cool in the fridge for half an hour.

Once cool cut into approximately 1inch lengths. Store until required.

WILD GARLIC PESTO

Yields 300ml
100g wild garlic – freshly picked 30g parsley – flat Italian
1pc garlic clove –finely chopped 10g(1 tbsp) pine nuts, roasted 250ml extra virgin olive oil
2 Pinch Salt
8 turns of a Black Pepper
Pick the leaves from the parsley. Wash the wild garlic and squeeze. Bring a pot of water to the boil.
Quickly submerge the wild garlic and parsley leaves for 5-10 seconds. Drain in a sieve and refresh under cold water. Squeeze out all the water and place into a liquidizer with the remaining ingredients. Blend all the ingredients until very fine. Refrigerate until required.

To serve
25ml (1 tbs) olive oil
5g butter
50g Ricotta cheese
15g flaked almonds- toasted- optional
Heat a heavy based frying pan over a medium heat.
Once hot add the gnocchi and sauté until an even golden brown all over. Add the butter and cook for a further minute. Remove from the heat. Drain the cooked gnocchi using a sieve to remove any excess oil. Add the wild garlic pesto to taste and toss until the gnocchi is evenly coated Serve the gnocchi onto warmed plates and finish with the ricotta cheese and toasted almonds.

Chefs Note
Wild garlic is a seasonal spring time herb that grows in abundance around the meadows and woodlands of Arundel, from March through to early June. I prefer to blanch these pungent and fragrant leaves. This will soften the texture and mellow the flavour