Homemade Orange-Pistachio Gnocchi

Hello friends, here is our new vegan recipe for September:  homemade potato gnocchis!  
They are much simpler to make than you think, yet the results are absolutely stunning.

These light, fluffy gnocchis can stand up to any egg based pasta and blow them out of the water!  They pair nicely with any rich creamy pasta sauce as well as with pestos and tomatoes.  With a little time and effort, these gnocchis will be the star of any home cooked dinner.  The orange pistachio sauce takes humble ingredients and blends them into something unique.  The brightness of the orange and the richness of the pistachio come together to create a flavor that is both bright and earthy at the same time.  Good for hot summer days when something refreshing is needed and also for cold winter nights when you need a taste of summer.  

The contrasting green and orange colors on the plate also add a fresh visual element to elevate the dish to something extraordinary. 


G N O C C H I   I N G R E D I E N T S
  

2 large Russet Potatoes

2 cups of Flour

2 Tbsp. Salt

S A U C E   I N G R E D I E N T S
  

1 cup shelled and peeled Pistachios

1/2 cup Oil of choice

1 tsp. Salt

juice and zest of one Orange

P R E P A R A T I O N S 

1. To start, process the pistachios very fine in food processor.
2. Next, with processor still running, drizzle the oil into the nuts. 
3. Move pistachio mix into a medium bowl and season with salt, orange juice and zest.
4. Next, make the gnocchi dumplings.
5. Begin by preheating your oven to 450°F and washing the potatoes.
6. Place the 2 large russet potatoes on a baking sheet and put in oven for 1 1/2 hours.
7. As soon as the potatoes have a crunchy skin and are soft on the inside, cut them in half and scoop out the insides with a soup spoon.
8. Once the potato is out, place in a fine sieve and push through to create a fluffy textured mashed potato. 
9. Spread the mixture out on a clean counter top and let the potatoes steam for 3-5 minutes.  This way they release their excess liquid. 
10. Next, bring a pot of water to a simmer on the stove. 
11. After potatoes have stopped steaming, add 1 cup of flour and the salt to the dough by dusting it over the steamed potatoes.
12. Use a spatula to fold in the flour, being careful not to overwork the dough as this will produce tough, gummy gnocchis.  The least amount of time spent working the dough is paramount.  If the dough is too wet, slowly add more flour to the mixture. 
13. After the dough has achieved a slightly tacky texture, dust the countertop with flour to prevent sticking.  Then roll the dough into long, thin snakes and cut them into your preferred dumpling size. 
14. At this point, it is good to test the dough by placing one gnocchi dumpling into the boiling water and cooking it until the gnocchi floats, then dropping it into a bowl of cold water.  If the dumpling falls apart or appears too mushy, dust the batch with flour and knead the dough gently 3-4 times and then try again. 
15. Once the desired consistency is reached, cook the remaining dumplings and place them onto a baking tray in the refrigerator to cool.  (The gnocchis will hold nicely over night this way or for 3 days if put into a container with a lid.) 
16. Then, put a medium sized skillet on stove top over medium heat.  Add oil and once the pan it hot, brown gnocchis on both sides.
17. To plate, pool orange pistachio sauce onto a small plate and pile gnocchis in the center.  Garnish with more orange zest if you like.

       Nina