It’s Meatless Monday! Woo Hoo!
It’s MASĀLĀ GOBI and homemade Gnocchi!
Yup. You heard me right, soft, fluffy potato pillows over a spicy cauliflower curry. Are you drooling yet?!
The hero of this dish is definitely the light gnocchi cushions which have been boiled and then crisped up in a pan with the masāla cauliflower curry.
To be blunt. Making homemade Gnocchi is a fucking process. Don’t get me wrong, totally enjoyed making them, it was just…kind of a process!
When making potato Gnocchi it is best to use a russet potato; a starchy, dry potato, which is essential to the airy, fluffy, texture of the dumpling. It cannot be gummy, which is caused by too much flour and not enough starch. Making sure the dough is not overworked is key also.
To start, I boiled whole potatoes, in their skins, for about 45 minutes. Keeping the skin helps trap moisture into the potatoes, keeping them moist.
You will know when the potatoes are done by sticking a paring knife in. If the knife goes in easy and the potato can stick without breaking apart, you are golden!
Once the skins have cooled, give the potatoes a run through the potato ricer.
Now its time for the dough!
The dough was easier to make then I imagined. My main concern was not over kneading the dough. I wanted it to be smooth but not elasticy.
I used a wooden spoon to mix the eggs into the flour and it came together quite nice with a stir and I dumped the dough onto a lightly floured surface. The dough was still pretty separate and I began pushing pieces to the center to create a ball, about a minute and a half worth of work and then boom! The dough was made.
The dough cut eight ways, and from there I rolled each cut into a 2 ft rope, then sliced 3/4 of a inch pillows.
I recommend testing out a Gnocchi piece before continuing, by adding a piece into gently rolling water. Give it a max of 2 minutes to arise to the surface. It the pillow pops up in that time frame the perfect density has been achieved.
It is always nerve-wracking waiting for it to come to the surface! Sometime you have to throw a life jacket in and go rescue a little guy, but hey, it happens 😉
I forgot to mention! It is best to cook them in batches so that the pan isn’t crowded and they have room to move.
Once the Gnocchi is cooked, add it directly into a hot pan with melted butter and a little of the MASĀLĀ GOBI curry.
Let the Gnocchi sear for about 20 seconds and then move around. The trick is to not let these babies stick! I would def recommend doing a test run of these also. I like the texture balance of a crispy outside and soft inside, but you don’t have to brown them. It’s a choice of preference.
There you have it for this Monday, and don’t forget to check out the Masāla Gobi here!
- 1 lb. russet potatoes
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 tsp. cilantro, chopped fine
- 1 egg, beaten
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 oz. Parmesan, finely grated, plus more for serving
- Boil potatoes over medium-high heat until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 40–45 minutes; drain.
- When cool, peel and pass through a potato ricer into a large bowl. Cool.
- Sprinkle flour and salt over potatoes.
- Using hands, make a well in the center. Pour egg into the well and stir in with a wooden spoon. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and gently knead, dusting with four as needed, until smooth but not elastic, about 2 minutes.
- Divide dough into 8 pieces.
- Roll each piece into a 2 ft. long rope about ½" thick. Cut into 3/4" pieces and imprint with a fork.
- Dust with flour, and arrange in a single layer on a lightly floured rimmed baking sheet.
- Working in batches cook the gnocchi in large pot of boiling salted water until they float to the surface, about 2 minutes.
- While gnocchi is cooking, add butter to a pan on medium high heat and add butter and curry*
- Using a slotted spoon, remove gnocchi once cooked and add to pan with Parmesan, searing for 30 seconds to brown.
- Serve warm with more spoonfuls off cauliflower curry and cilantro.
- *optional
- This dish can be made vegan by omitting the egg and adding a tsp. of oil.
- Let the skins of the potatoes cook, but not the potato. If left to cool before ricing, potatoes will become gummy.
- Do not overwork dough when kneading. A few kneads into a ball for a few minutes and you are set!
