Ingredients
| 1 clove garlic, finely chopped | |
| 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard | |
| ¼ teaspoon salt | |
| ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper | |
| 3 tablespoons lemon juice | |
| 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil | |
| 25g finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve | |
| 650g floury potatoes (I use Agria), peeled and cut into large pieces | |
| 125g flour, plus extra for rolling | |
| 1 large (65g) free-range egg | |
| 200g cavolo nero or kale, stalks removed, leaves shredded | |
| ¼ cup white wine or 1 tablespoon wine vinegar and 3 tablespoons water | |
| 200g oyster mushrooms, torn into even-sized pieces | |
| 100g radicchio, torn into small pieces (optional) | |
| a small bunch of parsley, chopped |
I love gnocchi though I don’t make it often as it is fiddly – when I do make it I remember how light and fluffy homemade gnocchi is compared to bought. If you don’t have the time to make gnocchi, this sauce is also excellent with waxy potatoes, boiled or roasted in bite-sized pieces. I like the addition of radicchio for a bitter complement to the cheesy dressing, but it’s still delicious without it.
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Instructions
| 1. | For the dressing, in a large bowl whisk the garlic, mustard, salt, pepper, lemon juice and 6 tablespoons olive oil along with the parmesan (a microplane is best to finely grate the parmesan, as the very light gratings melt into the dressing). |
| 2. | Spoon half the dressing into a small bowl and set both aside. |
| 3. | Cook the potatoes in unsalted water until tender. |
| 4. | Drain and leave to dry out for 5 minutes then mash or put through a ricer. |
| 5. | Use a wooden spoon to beat in the flour, then the egg. |
| 6. | Turn out onto the bench and knead to a smooth dough, adding more flour if necessary to make a soft but not sticky dough. |
| 7. | Shape into long logs about 2cm diameter and cut into pieces about 1.5cm long. |
| 8. | Place each piece of dough on the back of a floured fork, press down lightly with your thumb and roll or flick the pieces onto a floured board or tray. You should end up with fork ridges on one side and an indentation on the other. These will keep overnight if well covered on a floured tray. |
| 9. | When ready to cook, have the large bowl ready with half the lemon-parmesan dressing in. |
| 10. | Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and salt well. |
| 11. | Add the gnocchi, about 15 at a time, and cook for about 1 minute until they rise to the top then scoop out into the bowl and toss with the dressing. |
| 12. | Continue until all are ready. Set aside. |
| 13. | Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying or sauté pan over a medium-high heat. |
| 14. | Add the cavolo nero and wine (or vinegar and water), cover and cook for 5 minutes. |
| 15. | Uncover and add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes until just wilted. |
| 16. | Stir in the radicchio (if using) and parsley, and toss together then add to the gnocchi with more dressing to taste. |
| 17. | Serve with extra parmesan. |
Recipes & food styling Fiona Smith / Photography Aaron McLean Styling Fiona Smith & Aaron McLean