Week 74 Day 3

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Butternut gnocchi
Serves 4 : Very easy : This takes a little over an hour

Ingredients
400gm butternut, cut in chunks

150gm plain flour
1 Tblsp chopped parsley
1 Tblsp chopped basil leaves
1 small egg (or use just the yolk)

400gm baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 small leek, finely sliced
20 cherry tomatoes, halved

Thin flakes of parmesan

Method
Boil, steam or microwave the butternut chunks until soft.
Allow the butternut to go cold before mashing.
Beat in the egg and the fresh herbs.
Fold in the flour, a little at a time, until you have a soft but not sticky dough.

The trick with gnocchi is not to overwork it. Too much handling does something to the gluten in the
flour and makes the gnocchi tough.

Taking a teaspoon full at a time, shape the dough into ovals.
Lightly mark with the back of a fork.
Place the gnocchi in the fridge for 30 minutes before cooking.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil.
Drop the gnocchi into the water in batches.
The gnocchi will rise to the top of the water when cooked.
Remove each batch with a slotted spoon, and drain in a colander.

Steam the spinach and leek together.
Microwave / dry fry the tomatoes until they are starting to pulp.

Serve the gnocchi with the spinach and leek, topped with the tomatoes.
Garnish with flakes of parmesan.

You can use any fresh, soft herbs in the gnocchi. You could also spice them up with some chilli flakes.

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