Restorante Zepplin, Orvieto, Italy, revisited

Chef Lorenzo and me

Eight years ago I was in Orvieto, Italy on a week long watercolor workshop.  One afternoon as part of an excursion our group went to Restorante Zepplin https://www.ristorantezeppelin.com/ristorante-zeppelin to "cook" the dinner menu.   Well that was right up my alley and I was not shy to jump in.  First assignment: "gnocchi"  That was my first time at making gnocchi from scratch.  And now  I have been asked to teach a cooking class that would include this Italian comfort food dish.  I had to dust off my old notes to find my recipe.  This morning I jumped right in again to see if I could be successful before I reported to my requester that I could do it.

Here is my culinary journey for the day:

gnocchi with kale pesto 

Gnocchi recipe:

1 2/3- lb  that's  1 lb, 11 oz russet potatoes - don't substitute for a less starchy potato

2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

Place unpeeled potatoes in a saucepan and cover with 1 inch of salted water.

Bring to boil then reduce temperature and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender when pierced with a knife.

Drain the potatoes and rinse with cool water until they are cool enough to handle.

Peel the potatoes and return them to the saucepan.

Cook over medium low heat, taking the pan often to evaporate the excess moisture. About 2 minutes.

Press the warm potatoes through a ricer or a course mesh sieve into a bowl.

potato through the ricer

Stir in the eggs and the 2 tsps of salt.

add 2 delicious eggs

Gradually stir in enough of the flour to make a soft dough, taking care not to add too much.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently a few times until it is smooth, adding just enough flour to prevent sticking.

Divide dough into 4 equal portions.

add flour until a perfect dough consistency has been reached

Lightly four a rimmed baking sheet.  Using floured hands, transfer 1 portion of the dough to a lightly floured work surface.

Using your palms, roll the dough to make a rope about 3/4" in diameter.

Cut the rope into 1-inch lengths and roll each piece against a wooded gnocchi roller or make design with a the tines of a fork.

Place on the baking sheet until all are made

roll out into 3/4 inch rope

use gnocchi roller to add those adorable recognizable marks

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add half of the gnocchi and simmer until they rise to the surface, then cook 1 minute more.

place in salted boiling water until the gnocchi starts to pop up to the top

now that they are all floating boil for one more minute

Using a skimmer or birds nest carefully transfer the gnocchi to a warmed serving bowl and cover to keep warm.

Repeat with the remaining dough.

Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water

Add the pesto and about 1/4 cup of the cooking water.  Add more water if needed to make a creamy sauce.

Serve immediately

Top with extra cheese

Now the pesto sauce  X 2

Classic basil pesto:

1-2 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup pine nuts

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil-- I love my new oil from Katz farms in California https://store.katzfarm.com/katz-chefs-pick-extra-virgin-olive-harvest-p-62.html

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese

salt and fresh pepper to taste:

pesto mise en place

To make the pesto:  With a food processor running, drop the garlic through the feed tube and process until minced.

Turn off the processor, add the pine nuts and purse a few times to chop.

Add the basil and pulse a few times to chop coarsely.

Then with the food processor running...add the 1/2 cup olive oil through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream and process until a smooth, moderately thick paste forms, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.

Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheese.

Season with salt and pepper.

finished basil pesto

gnocchi with basil pesto

This was really fresh and tangy.  But wait there's more:

Brad suggested a pesto that he had liked from Sur La Table https://www.surlatable.com/product/REC-163536/Fusilli+with+Winter+Pesto and then I changed it a bit.

Kale and goat cheese pesto:

1/2 lb Tuscan kale, ribs removed

1/2 cup walnut pieces (California walnuts are the best) toasted

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup goat cheese (fresh chèvre)- Thank you CoCo!

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup Asiago cheese, grated, more for serving

fresh sea salt and ground pepper to taste

kale pesto mise en place

Cook the kale in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then blanch them in ice water.  This will soften the kale and make it more palatable.  

Dry thoroughly or use a salad spinner to dry then:

The method is the same as for the classic:

In a food processor:

first the garlic

then the walnuts

then the kale

and the goat cheese

then the olive oil through the feeding tube drip

add the cheese and salt and pepper to taste

kale pesto complete

gnocchi with kale pesto 

This pesto is a great choice when you can get kale and not fresh basil.  It is a little more mild but really very little difference in taste.

Try them both!!!!

Buon Apetito!!!