Barbie Gnocchi: Pink Potato Gnocchi with Green Leaf Pesto

Measuring by feeling is one of the things that fascinate me most, anthropologically, about old recipes. As if the secret of repeating a dish lay less in tools and measurements than in the attention we put into repeating it.

The memory of gestures and the involvement of all the senses make some dishes, in a way, immortal. And for me one of these is gnocchi.

Today I am making gnocchi inspired by a recipe from @latavernadegliarna.

I reworked the dish, serving the gnocchi with a green leaf pesto, roasted spring onion, leek roots and a fermented cashew and almond spread.

The recipe has several steps, but you can also dress these gnocchi more simply, with sage-infused oil or a ready-made spread. Of course, given my love for making things from scratch, I couldn't help giving you the full version ;)

For the gnocchi:

Boil the potatoes (choose old potatoes: new ones contain too much water!) and the beetroot in plenty of water. Peel the potatoes and mash them with a potato ricer. Spread them on a board and let them cool. Roughly blend the beetroot (I like to leave visible pieces, but follow your own taste) and set it aside.

When everything has cooled, bring it together with a little flour (or potato starch, for a gluten-free dish), a good pinch of salt (3 g) and a grating of nutmeg. The dough should be soft but workable. I won't give you an exact amount of flour, because it depends on how moist the dough is. Roll the dough into logs between your hands and cut them every 5 cm, then roll each piece into a ball with your palm. Dust them with flour and cook them in plenty of salted boiling water. When they float, they are done: lift them out with a fine sieve and let them dry slightly on paper.

Heat a pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 sage leaves. Brown the gnocchi on all sides and deglaze with 3 tablespoons of umeboshi vinegar. The gnocchi are ready to serve!

For the pesto I followed this recipe.

For the fermented cashew spread, you can find the recipe here. I used the fresh version, not the aged one.

I also roasted a fresh spring onion: 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a very hot iron pan, over high heat, turning the onion with kitchen tongs.

I had some beautiful leek roots too, which I fried in sunflower oil to garnish and add flavour. If you don't have them (or want a lighter version), use sprouts such as cress or alfalfa.

Plate as in the photo, dust with Sichuan pepper... or follow your own inspiration!

Enjoy :)