Homemade Gnocchi (grain-free)
I've been interning up north in Boulder and came home this last trip with an enormous bushel of farm fresh basil. What does one do with more than a pound of basil? Make pesto, of course. My recipe for how to make pesto takes only a few minutes to blend together and can be used on everything from eggs to sandwiches to tuna salad. We made cauliflower crust pizza for dinner that same night and smothered the entire thing in this pesto.
Gnocchi is traditionally made from potatoes, but I have had great success making it from a bunch of other vegetables. I don't usually do well with nightshades like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. Potatoes are also a nightshade, but in small quantities I don't feel the inflammatory effects.
And speaking of potatoes, here's a little nutrition lesson for ya: don't always knock a potato when the option for other vegetables comes along. Potatoes are full of minerals when grown in good soil just like any vegetable. Something else neat happens when you cook a potato and cool it in the refrigerator overnight. The content of resistant starch increases significantly in this process which is great for your gut health as it fosters good flora. You'll sometimes hear this referred to as resistant starch. This type of starch bypasses digestion and encourages bacteria in the large intestine to produce short chain fatty acids that cells can use as fuel.
Ingredients
500 grams shredded parsnips and/or russet potato
2/3 cup arrowroot flour*
2/3 cup almond flour*
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon salt
optional: 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
*reserve extra flour for rolling out the gnocchi.
Method
The night before you want to make gnocchi, steam 500 grams of parsnips and/or russet potato until they can be pierced by a fork without resistance. Refrigerate overnight. I used 400 grams of parsnips and 100 grams of russet potato in this version but have had success using both individually.
Grate your vegetable(s) of choice and pulse in a food processor with egg yolk, flours, salt, and nutmeg if using. Be cautious to pulse only until combined as the dough will become too sticky otherwise.
Sprinkle a clean countertop with additional almond and arrowroot flour. Divide the dough into four even pieces. Roll into a 1" log and cut into 1/2" slices. Roll over the back of a fork to emboss with ridges.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and season generously with salt. Add pieces of gnocchi to the water, stirring to ensure none stick to the bottom of the pot. Cook 2 -3 minutes until they float to the top. Toss gnocchi immediately in sauce of choice or brown in a heated skillet with ghee.
Note that the recipe provided makes four generous servings.