Olive Gnocchi with Parsley-thyme Sauce
Enjoying your own freshly made gnocchi is always a treat, but even more so when the olives are special treats from France. Nyons is famous for it’s olives and olive oil. This year on our fall vacation, we made a point to bring back some of the specialties from the area.
Serving Size: 2
Ingredients:
For the gnocchi
- 2 potatoes, (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup black olives, pitted and finely chopped
for the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 50 g (1.8 oz) soy margarine
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, just the leaves
Directions:
- Begin by pricking the potatoes with a fork in several places.
- Place the potatoes in a preheated oven at 400 F, and bake for 30 – 40 minutes until done.
- While the potatoes are baking, pit the olives and slice into small pieces.
- When the potatoes are done, remove from the oven. Using a fork to hold them, remove the the skin wit a knife.
- Pass the potato through a ricer or chop them in very fine pieces using knives or a fork. You want fluffy dry potato.
- While the potato is still warm, add the flour and the olives and work the mixture to a dough. Allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes before rolling the dough out.
- Turn onto a floured work surface and, using your hands, roll into 2 cm thick logs. Cut logs width ways into 1 1/2 cm. pieces, pinch in the sides of each piece slightly press one side with a fork and set aside on a floured plate.
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add gnocchi and simmer over medium heat until they float to the surface (2-3 minutes). Transfer to a tray to keep warm.
- Heat olive oil and soy margarine in a large frying pan, when the margarine starts to foam, add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft (2-3 minutes).
- Add gnocchi, gently toss until coated, scatter with parsley.
- We enjoyed these with a big mixed salad and a side dish of fresh steamed broccoli with a balsamic vinegar sauce.
Notes:
Baking the potato is quite important, as it helps to keep the gnocchi from being too floury and therefor not as delicate.
inspired by http://technicolorkitcheninenglish.blogspot.com/