Potato Gnocchi. Really.

Gnocchi. I cannot say how much I love these tiny pillows of potato perfection. In my previous omnivorous existence, I attempted time and time again to master the art that is a balance between weight in the dough and lightness in the bite but never found it. The “sweet spot” in the dough and it had always alluded me, until now…

You see, once you start trying to adapt omnivore recipes to accommodate vegan requirements you become liberated. You stop being a slave to the author’s method and find your own. Since you’ve already “subbed out” key ingredients, it seems that everything is up for interpretation. It’s this freedom that finally enabled me to produce the results I was looking for – dairy free. Who knew?

Unlike conventional pasta, gnocchi is made with starchy, soft potatoes and flour. In order to combine them properly and produce a dough that isn’t tough and held together by gluten, they need a binder. Eggs, regardless of how you feel about them ethically or in terms of your health, as an ingredient in a recipe are magic. The both bind and give rise to everything they inhabit and their effect is very difficult to replicate. Without eggs, I thought achieving my potato-based holy grail would be impossible until I read the Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen.  Included in his incredibly innovative work, is a recipe for a free-form ravioli that uses a blend of silken tofu and olive oil to replace the eggs in the pasta- genius! The gelatinous texture of the silken mimics that of the egg and when blended with the olive oil, emulsifies to produce the tack and volume a proper potato dumpling requires.

Once again, this is a recipe that takes some time to complete. Not all of the time is active, but it is work -highly productive work. In the end, you will be rewarded with enough gnocchi to create 12 starter course or 8 main course portions. They freeze beautifully and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Like everything is life worth having, you need to put in the time and effort to get what you want. So surrender, put on some music that moves you, open a bottle of wine and enjoy the process. When you’re enjoying the first few bites of these magic little morsels, you’ll be glad you decided to make the investment.

You can coast them with an array of sauces and these are two of my favourites. Both are recreations of dished from two of my favourite restaurants.

The Mushroom and Edamame Bean Brandy  Cream Sauce was one of my favourite dishes on the Fall 2009 Play Food and Wine menu. I had dreams about this sauce and couldn’t bear the thought of never having it again, hence the veganification.

The  Tomato Leek Cream Sauce was a chef’s table preparation from a recent visit to the The Fraser Cafe. While the meal wasn’t vegan, the Brothers happily created a wholly vegetarian and entirely beautiful 2-course Chef’s Choice menu. I loved the risotto so much I had to try and make it “gatherworthy”.

Potato Gnocchi

as adapted from Bruce Wood and inspired by Tal Ronnen

Prep time 5 minutes / Active time, 1.5 hours / Cooking Time: 1 hour

For the Gnocchi:

3 mango-sized, yukon gold potatoes – peels on
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil, split
1/4 cup silken tofu
1.5 – 2 cups of all purpose flour
kosher, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400℉. Liberally pierce the potatoes with the tines of a fork, evenly coat with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and Bake until just tender. Approximately 45- 55 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the silken and 1 tsp of olive oil until smooth and fluffy.
3. Remove potatoes for the oven and while still warm, remove the peels and pass them through the medium blades of a food mill into a medium sized mixing bowl.

NOTE: You cannot use a food processor for this step, it will only over process the potatoes and make the gluey and useless to you. If you don’t have a food mill, a box grater will do in a pinch but may not yield the proper consistency which could skew the results.

4. Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time, mix lightly and season with sea salt and pepper as you go until you have a soft mass that can be kneaded without sticking to the sides of the bowl. Form the dough into a ball, cover with saran wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
5. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. On a liberally floured surface, roll out each section with both hands until you have a rope roughly 1/2″ in diametre. Cut the rope into 1″ sections and place them on a lightly floured tray. Repeat until all the dough has been formed into the gnocchi. Traditionally, these sections are them rolled along the tines of  fork but most chefs don’t bother and neither do I – it doesn’t add anything to the gnocchi but another step.
6. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Place the dumplings in the boiling water and using a slotted spoon, remove them the moment they start to float and place them on a parchment paper-lined tray.
7. At this point you can freeze the gnocchi to be used at a late date. Just place the flat tray in the freezer until they’re solid. Then portion them in freezer proof bags, removing as much air as possible before sealing them in. When you’re ready to use them, drop them into salted boiling water and cook them until they float again.
8. If you’re using them fresh or out of the refrigerator, you can bring them up to room temperature then sear them in an equal mix of olive oil and Earth Balance Buttery Sticks to give them a bit of crisp before you coat them with the sauce of your choice.
9. Cover with your sauce of choice (and there are more than a few good ones to try in the achieves) and savour.
You’ve worked too hard for too long to wolf these little babies down. If there is any moment you’ll want to slow down and be truly present for, it’s this one.