Gnocchi topped with chunky lentil sauce
Serving: 4
Ingredients
Lentil sauce:
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 small carrot, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 100 ml brown lentils, rinse well
- 1 g Italian chopped tomatoes
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) fresh basil, snipped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Gnocchi
- 2 large potatoes, cooked
- 90 ml cake flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- Salt, to taste
- Parmesan, freshly grated, to serve
Directions
- For the sauce, melt the butter and sauté the onion for a few seconds, add the pepper, carrot and celery and continue to cook for a few more minutes..
- Add the lentils, tomato and basil, season and continue to cook while stirring for a minute or two. Add a little water if the sauce is getting very thick. Cover and cook until the lentils are soft.
- For the gnocchi, add the flour and salt as well as the egg and with your hands work the flour and egg into a soft yet manageable dough. On a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough until smooth dusting with flour if it gets very sticky. Try not to overwork the dough.
- Divide the dough into portions and roll each portion in a long rope, cut into 2cm slices and gently roll each dough piece against the back of a fork to make ridges, then arrange in a single layer on a floured work surface.
- Cook the gnocchi in plenty of salted boiling water until most have floated to the top about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon gently remove the gnocchi into a serving bowl and toss through the sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.
- Freeze raw gnocchi on baking sheets until firm, transfer to freezer bags and freeze, up to 1 month. Yes, 1 month. Like fine mature red wine, so is our magnifique gnocchi. Thaw at room temperature on parchment-lined sheets, 30 minutes, before boiling. Lentils add essential vitamins, minerals and fiber to your diet, and they can provide protein and sustenance that can replace meat in a meal.