Disclaimer: Ziggys Fresh set us up with almost all of the ingredients that we cook with in this post. We use and love everything that we recommend on our blog, and hope that you will too!
The Story
Pasta, for me, has always been more about an approach to food than a favourite dish. Don’t get me wrong, we make and enjoy it at least once a week, and it is a passion bordering on obsession, but tacos truly vie for my heart. Or my stomach, as it may be. It was only a matter of time before we stuffed some Mexican into our pasta. Because, porque no los dos?
This week it’s (admittedly leftover) pulled pork-filled gnocchi, pan fried and served with a creamy corn sauce, jalapeño vinaigrette, and crunchy black beans! Everything apart from the meat is courtesy of our pals Ziggys Fresh, who had us around for brekky the other day and loaded us up with all this good stuff.
Have yourself a solid taco night, hang on to a little filling, and treat yourself to some stuffed gnocchi. You’ll have to wait until next time for our secret pulled pork recipe…
The Pasta
Just like our eggplant-stuffed gnocchi from a while back, start off by roasting your potatoes, peeling them while they’re warm, and then spreading them out riced for any remaining moisture to evaporate off. Remember to toss the black beans into the oven at the same time.
We also stuck those potato skins back in briefly with a little oil to crispen up.
Fold all of the other dough ingredients in with the potato, give it a quick knead, and refrigerate sealed in cling wrap for half an hour. While you wait, prepare the vinaigrette by simply blending all ingredients together.
Once the dough’s ready, divide it into large walnut sized balls, flatten them into discs, and place a good dollop of filling into the centre. Fold and squash the dough up around the filling to form balls.
If you’d like square-shaped gnocchi like ours, just squash each ball through a square cookie cutter; otherwise flatten them into discs. Cook until they float, and then pan fry in butter.
If you’ve hung onto the corn silk, now’s a good time to fry that up for a tasty garnish. Otherwise throw in the spring onions, sauté for a bit, and then cook the corn until soft. Hit it with some cheese, salt, and pepper, and blend it all to smooth.
Plate the gnocchi up on top of the sauce, drizzled with the vinaigrette, and scatter black beans all over the place. And don’t forget the potato skins and corn silk!
We surprised ourselves with just how good this combination of textures and flavours was. Smooth and springy gnocchi, soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside, on a creamy corn sauce, with a zesty vinaigrette and crunchy black beans, potato skins, and crispy corn silk. Hopefully it hits the spot for you too!
Buon appetito,
– Al & Al & El.
Ingredients
Gnocchi
- 700 g potatoes
- 25 g Manchego grated
- 150 g plain flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 egg
- 100 g leftover pulled pork substitute with similar meat
Sauce
- 30 g butter
- 4-5 stems spring onion
- 2 ears corn
- 60 ml water
- 20 g Manchego grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
Vinaigrette
- 1 fresh jalapeño
- 3-4 sprigs coriander chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 small garlic clove minced
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
To Serve
- 100 g black beans tinned, drained
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chipotle powder
- Salt to taste
- Potato skins retained from baking
- Corn silk retained from ears
Instructions
- Toss the black beans in the olive oil with the paprika and chipotle, and spread out thinly on a baking paper-lined oven tray. Roast for 30-40 minutes, in a 200 degree Celsius oven, shuffling them around regularly.
- At the same time, roast the potatoes for 40 minutes, directly on the oven rack. Once cool enough to handle but still warm, peel off the skins (retaining them) and pass the flesh through a potato ricer. Spread out to allow any excess moisture to evaporate.
- Drizzle the potato skins with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and return to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes until crispy.
- Next, fold the cheese, flour, egg, and salt and pepper into the potato. Knead for 1-2 minutes, before wrapping in cling wrap and refrigerating for 30 minutes.
- While you wait, prepare the vinaigrette by simply blending together all ingredients. If you prefer a milder taste, roast the jalapeño and garlic in the oven for 10-15 minutes alongside the potato skins, before blending.
- To prepare the gnocchi, form the dough into large walnut-sized balls, and then flatten into discs.
- Place a small dollop of filling into the centre and then bring the edges up to meet, forming a filled ball. To form square shapes, press each into a square cookie cutter, against a flat work surface. Alternatively, gently flatten into discs, keeping the dough join centred underneath the pasta. Transfer to lightly floured, baking paper-lined oven trays.
- To cook the gnocchi, drop them into a large pot of lightly salted boiling water. They should be ready when they float, about 4-5 minutes. Scoop out and drain, patting dry to remove any remaining water.
- Next, melt the butter in a frypan on medium heat. Fry the gnocchi in small batches, cooking until a light brown crust forms (4-5 minutes), and turning to brown each side. Use remaining oil to fry the corn silk, 1-2 minutes, or until crispy; remove and drain on paper towels.
- Once the gnocchi is cooked, add the spring onions into the same pan and cook until soft, 4-5 minutes. If required, add a little extra butter, cooking until the bubbles have disappeared, and then stir in the corn kernels and water. Note that we don't separately brown the butter, but by this stage (and after frying the gnocchi), it should be browning by itself. Cook for 10 minutes, or until soft.
- Add the cheese into the sauce, season to taste with salt and pepper, and pour in a little extra water if it becomes too thick. Transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth.
- To serve, sit the gnocchi on top of the sauce, drizzled with the vinaigrette. Arrange the potato skins around them, sprinkled with the black beans and fried corn silk.
