Nov
I always thought making your own pasta and pesto was for the expert cooks until I made both myself and saw how easy it can be. I highly recommend you try either one or both of these recipes. It’s hard to go back to store bought gnocchi and pesto after you’ve made your own!
Ricotta Gnocchi
Ingredients:
Seventy grams grated parmesan cheese
Two hundred and fifty grams bakers flour
Two ricotta cheese tubs (two hundred and fifty grams each)
A pinch of salt
A pinch of nutmeg
Method
Prepare a lined tray to put the chopped gnocchi on.
Mix all the ingredients together until combined (preferably in a food processor/Thermomix) but I have done it by hand before as well.
Knead dough for one minute in the Thermomix, or hand knead on your bench for a few minutes.
Separate the dough into five balls and then roll each ball into a long snake and chop into gnocchi.
Cook the gnocchi in boiling water until they rise to the surface and transfer to a bowl.
After cooking in boiling water, serve with your preferred sauce, or freeze for later use.
Spinach Pesto
Ingredients:
A quarter of a cup of grated parmesan
Two cups of organic spinach
A few leaves of basil
One cup of pine nuts
Half a cup of olive oil
Method
Grate the parmesan in your food processor unless already grated.
Add spinach, basil and pine nuts and chop until fine.
Slowly pour the olive oil into the turning processor until combined.
Heat the pesto on the stove to serve with pasta.
To store the pesto, pour into a clean jar and level out pesto.
Pour a tablespoon of olive oil on top before putting the lid on and storing in the fridge.
The gnocchi and pesto go well together but of course you can mix it up and choose different sauces for your gnocchi or use the pesto on poached eggs or in other meals. The pesto is a lovely gift to make up for friends, and the gnocchi is also handy as a frozen meal for your friends who are doing it tough.
Enjoy!
