Gluten-Free Baked Gnocchi with Oregano-Chive Pesto and Slow Roasted Tomatoes

    

Can’t wait for homegrown tomatoes, but for now, these will do.

Gluten-Free Baked Gnocchi with Oregano-Chive Pesto and Slow Roasted Tomatoes
original recipe

Ingredients:

For slow roasted tomatoes:
8 large ripe tomatoes, sliced in half
salt and pepper
extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

For pesto:
1/3 cup almond, walnuts, or pine nuts
4 cups packed fresh oregano leaves
1/4 or more cup fresh chives, snipped into 1/4″ pieces
2-3 garlic cloves
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
about 1/3 cup water
about 1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
optional:  1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, or nutritional yeast

For gnocchi:
2 1/2 lbs. russet potatoes
1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour mix (or all-purpose flour)
1 large whole egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. salt
water
1/4-1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

For slow roasted tomatoes:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Place tomato halves, cut side up, in a shallow baking dish, such as a 9 by 13″ glass pan.  Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.  Roast tomatoes for about 20 minutes at 425 degrees F, and then lower the heat to 350 degrees F and continue cooking for an additional 90 minutes, or until tomatoes have decreased in volume, turned golden on top and started to release their juices.  Remove from oven and keep warm until ready to serve.  Return the oven to 425 degrees F for the baked gnocchi.

For pesto:
Place almonds in the bowl of a food processor.  Process until almonds are finely chopped.  Add the oregano, chives and garlic.  Continue processing until a thick paste starts to form.  Add the water and the oil through the feed hole with the motor running.  Stop and scrape down sides as necessary.  Add the salt and cheese or nutritional yeast, if using and continue processing until smooth.  Transfer to a bowl and press plastic wrap onto the surface.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

For gnocchi:
While tomatoes are roasting, place the unpeeled, whole potatoes in a large pot and cover with cool water.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 30 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.

Drain the potatoes and let them sit in a the warm pan until cool enough to handle.  Peel the skins off and remove any dark spots from the potatoes.  Put the potatoes through a potato ricer set over a large bowl, or mash well in the bowl.  Let cool to room temperature.

Sprinkle the flour evenly over the potatoes and add the salt.  Gently mix with your hands, adding the eggs halfway through mixing.  Add water if necessary until you have a dough that holds together when formed into a ball.  Pinch off small balls of dough and run them along the tines of a fork to make the characteristic grooves.  (See this post for how-to instructions.)  Lay the gnocchi on a lightly floured baking sheet (or on waxed paper) until all gnocchi have been formed and are ready to be cooked.

Bring a large pot filled with salted water to a rolling boil.  Add the gnocchi, about 8-10 at a time, working in batches, and cook until the gnocchi float to the surface, about 4-6 minutes.  Taste one of the first batch to make sure it’s cooked through.  Transfer the cooked gnocchi to a large bowl.  Reserve some of the cooking water to thin the pesto.

When all of the gnocchi are cooked, add enough pesto (you might not need all of it) and a little cooking water to gently coat all of the gnocchi.  Transfer to a baking dish.

In a small dish, stir together the bread crumbs and 1 tsp. olive oil.  Sprinkle over the top of the gnocchi.  Bake at 425 degrees until hot and the bread crumbs are golden.

Serve warm with the roasted tomatoes on the side.

Note:  You can make the gnocchi ahead of time and freeze them.  Adjust cooking time by about 5 minutes or so.

Makes enough generous servings for 4-6 people.