Garden Pea Gnocchi with Lemon Goat Cheese Sauce
INGREDIENTS
Pea Gnocchi:
12 ounces fresh or frozen green peas
3 green onions
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 pounds russet potatoes
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
Lemon Goat Cheese Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons dry white wine
1 cup vegetable broth
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To serve (optional):
Zucchini ribbons
Cooked snap peas
Pea shoots
Fresh tarragon
Fresh mint leaves
Freshly cracked black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Prep a bowl of ice water for shocking. Blanch the peas and green onions for 30 seconds in the boiling water. Remove from the pot and transfer to the ice bath. Reserve 1/3 cup of the cooking water. Once cooled and drained, place peas and green onions in a high-speed blender with ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water, salt and lemon juice. Blend until smooth, adding more water, one tablespoon at a time, as needed to thin. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Pierce the skin of the potatoes all over with a fork, and bake 1 hour, or until tender. Peel the potatoes while they are still warm. Pass potatoes through a ricer or food mill into a large bowl. Cool slightly.
Lightly flour your work surface. Add the eggs, pea puree, and salt to the potatoes and then add the flours. Mix with your hands until the flour is moistened and the dough starts to come together. Transfer to the floured surface. Knead gently until the flour is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth, and a little sticky, about 30 seconds (don’t overmix or the gnocchi will be gummy).
Cover two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and dust lightly with flour. Scrape any dough bits off the work surface and re-flour. Tear off a small piece of dough and put a damp towel over the rest of the dough so it doesn’t dry out. Roll dough into a rope about 1 inch in diameter. With a sharp knife or a bench scraper, cut the rope crosswise every 1.5 inches. Roll each gnocchi across the tongs of a fork to create ridges. Arrange the gnocchi in a single layer on the baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Let gnocchi rest for 30 minutes before cooking.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Delicately drop in the gnocchi, stirring gently just to make sure they do not stick together. Once they float to the top of the water, allow them to cook for 1-2 minutes, then drain.
To make the lemon goat cheese sauce, combine the olive oil, white wine, and vegetable broth in a saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat until it has reduced by about half. Add the goat cheese and lemon juice. Continue simmering, stirring frequently, until cheese has melted and sauce is creamy and reaches nappé consistency. Salt and pepper to taste.
To assemble, spoon goat cheese sauce on the bottom of a plate. Top with 4-5 gnocchi, zucchini, snap peas, and pea shoots. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with chopped tarragon, mint and freshly cracked black pepper.
