Bring the Taste of Italy Home With This Recipe for Carrot Gnocchi

Plenty of us gained newfound cooking skills while being homebound over the past two years. If you really want to test your skills easily one of the more tricky but rewarding meals to master is gnocchi. The small doughy pasta balls require precision and care but the result is oh so delicious.

If you’re looking for a more interesting take on the traditional gnocchi recipe look no further than Chef Martino Pulito’s carrot gnocchetti with fresh peas, asparagus and granturco sauce.

Pulito is the executive chef at Italian restaurant Cucina Porto at The Star in Sydney and created this dish with his hometown, Puglia, in mind. It looks delicious, it’s vegetarian and it brings a twist to that plain old gnocchi recipe.

Carrot Gnocchetti with Granturco Sauce Recipe

What you’ll need

For the Gnocchi:

• 1kg medium carrots
• 3 ½ tsp salt
• 1.5kg desiree potatoes
• 4 egg yolks
• 500g plain flour

For the Granturco Sauce:

• 1.5kg corn on the cob
• 300ml water
• 1 tsp butter
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 eschalot, peeled
• 2 oxheart tomatoes, diced
• Handful of basil leaves
• 3tsp dry vermouth
• 3tsp lime juice

To serve:

• 3 cups cooled gnocchi (recipe as above)
• 1 ½ cup granturco sauce (recipe as above)
• 10g butter
• 30g fresh peas
• 4 green asparagus spears
• 4 white asparagus spears
• Grated parmesan cheese, to serve
• Red amaranth leaves, to serve

Method

1. To make your gnocchi, peel your carrots then boil them in a large pot of salty water until soft. Blend the carrots in a food processor until smooth. Leave the mixture in a sieve to remove any excess water.
2. Meanwhile, wrap your potatoes in aluminium foil and bake them in the oven until soft. Once soft, remove from the oven, peel the skin, and mash. Do not leave your potatoes to cool completely before peeling and mashing.
3. Combine your blended carrots, mashed potatoes, egg yolks and flour in a bowl until a firm dough forms.
4. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Roll 1 portion into a log about 30cm long then cut into 2cm pieces. Repeat with remaining dough portions.
5. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil over medium heat. Add your gnocchi and cook until they rise to the surface. Use a slotted spoon to drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water.
6. To make the granturco sauce, cut the kernels off the corn cobs.
7. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to the boil and add your corn cobs with the kernels removed.
8. In a separate pan, melt your butter and gently fry your chopped garlic and eschalot until caramelised. Then, add your corn kernels and chopped tomato and gently stir for 2 minutes.
9. Add 300ml of your corn cob stock to the pan and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
10. Remove your corn mixture from the heat and blend until smooth, gradually adding in the basil leaves, dry vermouth and lime juice.
11. To finish the dish, peel your asparagus and chop.
12. Steam or blanche your asparagus and peas quickly, ensuring that they maintain some of their crunch and colour.
13. In a large pan, melt your butter and add your asparagus and peas. Once lightly sauteed, add your gnocchi and toss with the vegetables.
14. To serve, ladle ½ cup of the granturco sauce on the bottom of the serving dish. Layer the gnocchi, asparagus, and peas on top. Finish with a sprinkle of parmesan and amaranth leaves.

And there you have it, fresh and tasty vege gnocchi for days.

If you’re after an alternative gnocchi recipe try this one from MasterChef alum Khanh Ong.