Pea Gnocchi with Fresh Peas
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
1 hr 30 mins
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Cook Time
10 mins
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Total Time
1 hr 40 mins
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Servings
4 people
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Calories
320 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Italian
Pea Gnocchi with Fresh Peas
Description
This recipe makes gnocchi with a base of fresh or thawed peas pureed into a paste and combined with ricotta cheese, egg, and seasoning such as nutmeg and white pepper. A small amount of flour is incorporated gradually to bind the dough to a workable consistency while maintaining softness—typically no more than 2 cups of flour are needed. The soft, tacky dough is shaped roughly into logs and portioned for cooking.
The accompanying sauce features unsalted butter, Parmesan cheese, and a flavorful pea broth made from boiling pea pods, green garlic, green onions, and parsley. This broth imparts vegetal freshness and depth, enhancing the pea flavor. Fresh peas and thinly sliced green garlic add texture and brightness. Black pepper and salt balance the seasoning.
Due to their delicate nature, these gnocchi should be cooked fresh and consumed the same day, as they do not freeze or store well. The result is an airy, tender gnocchi with a light sauce that highlights the fresh pea components and subtle herbaceous notes from the broth ingredients.
Ingredients
OPTIONAL PEA BROTH
- pea pod about 2 pounds
- green garlic green parts of 1 stalk
- 3 green onions
- parsley stems from a bunch
- salt
GNOCCHI
- 1 cup pea thawed or fresh
- 1 egg
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- salt a healthy pinch
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon nettle powder optional, or spinach powder
- 1 flour 2 cups
SAUCE
- 3 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 1/4 cup whey (see above)
- 1/2 cup pea broth or chicken broth
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese finely grated
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 cup pea
- green garlic or 1 large garlic clove, sliced thin, white part from a stalk
Instructions
- To make the broth, bring 6 cups of water to a boil and add all the ingredients, and salt to taste. Boil this hard for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the broth steep while you make everything else.
- To make the gnocchi, buzz the peas into a puree in a food processor or blender. You might need to add a little broth (pea or chicken) to loosen things up. I push the puree through a fine-meshed sieve, but you don't need to. You will need 1/2 cup of puree. Put the puree in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients except the flour.
- Now add 1 cup of flour and mix with a spoon. The dough should be wet and tacky and not quite workable. Add just a little flour at a time until you can form the dough into a rough log about 1 inch thick. This is not pasta dough, so it should be very soft and very tricky to work with -- the key to great gnocchi is to add as little flour as possible to make the dumplings. Under no circumstances should you need more than the maximum of 2 cups.
- When you have your 1-inch-thick log of dough, cut it into 1/2 inch pieces. Very gently roll those pieces off the end of a gnocchi board or a fork; this creates texture that the sauce can adhere to. You can skip it if this freaks you out, though.
- Boil the gnocchi in a large pot of salty water until they float, then for 1 minute more. Drain and set in a baking sheet so they don't touch each other.
- To finish the dish, heat the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When it has melted, add the whey, broth and whisk in the grated cheese. When the cheese has melted, add the peas, green garlic and gnocchi and toss to combine. Turn off the heat, grind some black pepper over everything and serve. You can add a little more cheese if you want, and lemon zest is a nice touch, too.
Notes
- These gnocchi have a very delicate texture and should be cooked and consumed on the same day, as they do not freeze or store well.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 320 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 320kcal | 16% |
| Carbohydrates | 15g | 5% |
| Protein | 21g | 42% |
| Fat | 20g | 31% |
| Saturated Fat | 12g | 60% |
| Cholesterol | 112mg | 37% |
| Sodium | 188mg | 8% |
| Potassium | 327mg | 7% |
| Fiber | 4g | 16% |
| Sugar | 5g | 10% |
| Vitamin A | 1312IU | 26% |
| Vitamin C | 31mg | 34% |
| Calcium | 252mg | 25% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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