Gnocchi with mint sauce
If you live in Belgium, you know it has been very hot the past week. At one point in our kitchen at the restaurant it was 35°C. Yesterday, when I woke up, I was super dizzy, most likely due to a heat exhaustion. Today I’m feeling a bit better but I still have a light headache. I hope tomorrow I’m fully recovered! Nonetheless I have a new recipe for you, a super fresh gnocchi with mint sauce.
Mint it a tricky herb to incorporate into dishes, at least for me. Especially hot pasta dishes are difficult, because if you let the mint cook it turns black and bitter. The key here is to don’t let the sauce cook at all. The freshly cooked, hot gnocchi will warm it up without changing the fresh and bright flavor of the mint.
To make this mint sauce you’ll need parsley, basil, mint and garlic. Lots of olive oil too and a pinch of salt. Also a good squeeze of lemon juice didn’t harm nobody. Lemon also helps to retain that bright green color of the sauce.
Lately I’ve been making a lot of my almond ricotta for the restaurant so I always have some on hand. I added a few dollops on these gnocchi too for a creamy touch. You could totally leave it out but if you have the time, here’s the recipe.
Enough talking let’s get cooking!
Recipe
serves 4 people
Ingredients
25 gr of fresh flat leaf parsley
40 gr of fresh mint leaves
15 gr of fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove
30 gr of toasted pine nuts
90 ml olive oil
lemon juice, to taste
salt and black pepper, to taste
600 gr of gnocchi, storebought or homemade
almond ricotta, optional
How to
Start by making the pesto, place the herbs, garlic, pine nuts and olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth.
Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper and set aside.
Cook the gnocchi n boiling salted water until they float.
Remove the gnocchi from the water and add to a pan along with the mint sauce.
Add a few tablespoons of the cooking water and toss the gnocchi in the sauce. Don’t place the pan over high heat, let the gnocchi heat up the sauce.
Serve with some almond ricotta on top.
Buon appetito!
SHARING IS CARING!
Did you make this? Tag me @lunatrapani on instagram. Love to see your creations.
