Ginger Poppy Seed HomeMade Gnocchi

Homemade pillowy gnocchi tossed with ginger butter, poppy seeds and roasted broccoli for a comforting cold weather evening. 

Right off the bat:

1. Yes, you CAN make gnocchi. I believe in you. Because I thought there was no way I could pull this off and I DID.
2. Seriously. You don't actually need cheese or to make this Italian inspired. This is AMAZING with ginger and roasted broccoli. 

Good? Good. Gnocchi can smell fear so be brave for me. 

When Chris first showed me this recipe concept he had in mind I hate to admit I didn't immediately see it working. It's funny how a preconceived notions about specific kinds of foods could potentially keep you from something delicious. For me, gnocchi basically needed to be savory with some kind of meat or cheese and likely some Italian herbs. Spoiler alert: Carlene was wrong and Carlene will never assume such things about gnocchi potential ever again. 

I hope by now you know you can trust us when it comes to flavor marriages. We've really surprised ourselves over the past year or so when it comes to combinations and today is no exception. The gnocchi is paired with a raw ginger butter sauce with poppy seeds and plated with roasted broccoli and green onions. It's actually a very simple dish. One starch. One veg. Four seasonings. Personally the ginger is what surprised me the most. Cooking it with butter and then adding the gnocchi to the pan is what makes this dish. It's bright but more subdued than throwing ginger on top during plating. 

The roasted broccoli is incredibly crave-worthy. I always forget just how good roasted broccoli is. We let the very tops get crispy and browned which makes for a nice flavor contrast with the soft gnocchi. And per usual, I found Chris eating the broccoli straight off the pan later. I really always need to buy more broccoli than I think because the yield is just never what I put into the oven... 

The process of making gnocchi is really not difficult. More than anything what catches up to you is lack of counter space and having your 'stations' set up. Two of these steps involve boiling large amounts of water and unless you're cooking with induction, it's going to take time. Plan ahead for both steps and get your water going. Once you have your dough kneaded together the gnocchi formation happens. This is where you need counter space. The dough gets separated and rolled into ropes. Then it gets cut. THEN it gets formed with a fork. So my best advice here is set up stations with exactly what you need and give yourself landing spaces between each station. Where does the dough go before it's rolled into a rope? What about after it's cut but before it gets formed? I get annoyed in the kitchen if I feel crowded...and then I get sloppy. So the word of today is: PLAN. 

I'm really proud of how these guys turned out! And they are worth it to make them at home. These are better than any of the prepped gnocchi I've purchased in stores before. Next I'm going to test out how good these are if you freeze them before actually cooking them. That would be aaaaaamazing. 

HomeMade Gnocchi with Ginger and Roasted Broccoli

serves 4

/// Ingredients ///

• 1 pound russet potatoes 
• 4 ounces flour + extra for sprinkling
• 1 egg
• Salt
• 2 ounces butter
• 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 2 green onions
• 2 large heads broccoli
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil 

/// Directions /// In a pot of water, boil the potatoes in salted water for about 30 minutes or, until you can stick a knife completely through them. Drain the water and cool. Peel off the skin. Rice potatoes (I use my Grandma's totally stainless steel ricer and it's a dream but other recipes I've read say you can hypothetically just mash them through whatever) and have them land directly on a large cutting board dusted with flour. Add egg and flour to a well within the potato that has been riced. Mix with your hands and knead until the dough is soft, compact and not extremely sticky. Add more flour as needed but don't add too much! It can make the gnocchi too chewy. 

Divide the dough into 8 sections. Roll each section into long cylinders. The most accurate rolling technique description I can come up with is roll the dough like a playdough snake. Spread your fingers out to apply even pressure as you roll so the dough is even throughout the cylinder. 

Pre heat your oven to 425 F for broccoli. Slice into long florets with stalk and toss in olive oil. Put on a lined baking sheet and roast 10-15 minutes until tops are browned. 

Slice the log into 1 inch sections with a knife and move them to your shaping station. I used a fork with the handle up and the tines down on the cutting board. Take each piece and start at the top of the fork (where it meets the handle) and press and slide to the end. Here's a great video that shows how they're formed. Put them on a lightly floured plate and then cook in a large pot of boiling salted water. The gnocchi are done once they float. Remove them with a slotted spoon.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add freshly grated ginger and sauté for three minutes. Add the gnocchi and stir for another two to three minutes. Add poppy seeds and extra salt and pepper. Add broccoli to a plate and top with gnocchi. Slice green onion on top.