Ingredients
- 400 gram (floury) potatoes
- 175 gram red beets (pre-cooked or cook them yourself)
- about 150 gram flour + extra
- pepper and salt to taste
- handful of coarsely grated grana padano
- handful of black olives
- large dash of good quality olive oil
- a few sprigs of thyme
- handful of pine nuts
Kitchen equipment needed
- potato peeler
- medium-sized pan
- fine sieve
- large spoon
- cutting board & chef’s knife
- large pan
- skimmer
- clean kitchen towel
- fork
- large skillet
Preparation — 45 minutes
Peel the potatoes and divide into chunks. Cook the potato chunks in about 20 minutes, exact time depends on the size of the pieces. Meanwhile create a smooth beet puree, you can use a fine sieve and a large spoon to do this. If the potatoes are done, also press the potatoes through the sieve using a large spoon. Season the potato puree with pepper and salt. Divide the black olives into halves and set aside.
Dust your hands and work surface with flour. Combine beet puree and flour with the potato puree using your hands. The dough supposed to be a bit sticky, but not too much.
Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a long strip, about 2,5 cm thick (about 1 inch). Divide each roll into small pieces and use a fork to create beautiful gnocchi. Put a piece of dough on a fork and press with your thumb and roll it upwards to create a pattern. The pattern helps the sauce to stick to the gnocchi. Dust the gnocchi with a bit of flour to prevent them from sticking together.
Finishing the red beet gnocchi — 15 minutes
Fill a pan with water and salt and bring to a boil. Cook the gnocchi for a few minutes in the pan with boiling water. Don’t add too much at once, otherwise they will all stick together. The gnocchi are done if they float to the top. Transfer them to a clean kitchen towel using a skimmer, make sure they won’t be too close to each other otherwise they will stick together. Repeat until all the gnocchi are cooked.
Roast a handful of pine nuts in a dry skillet and transfer them to a small bowl. Heat a large dash of olive oil to the skillet and add the cooked gnocchi. Cook them for a few minutes and add the black olives and thyme leaves. Season with pepper and salt.
Serve the baked gnocchi with grated cheese and pine nuts, enjoy!
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