Have a date night or ladies night planned and unsure what to cook or just a simple meal to have a nice night in? Australian Sweet Potatoes has your back with the ultimate dish that will have everyone asking for more.
Ingredients
FOR THE GNOCCHI
500g sweet potato
125g ricotta cheese
50g parmesan cheese
10g salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg
150g ‘oo’ pasta flour (more for dusting)
FOR THE SAUCE
50g blanched green peas
50g finely diced white onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
100g peeled asparagus, woody part of stem removed
50g shelled broad beans
50g sugar snap peas
50g spinach
50g picked mint leaves plus a few extra for garnish
100ml vegetable stock
1 lemon juice plus zest reserved for garnish
50g butter
25ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt for seasoning
100g Persian feta to garnish
Method
1. For the gnocchi: spike the unpeeled sweet potato a few times and bake in the oven at 170°c for 45mins – 1hour or until the potato is soft.
2. Scoop the flesh of the sweet potato into a mixing Discard the skin. Mix the ricotta, parmesan, nutmeg and salt until well combined and almost completely smooth. Add the flour ½ cup at a time, kneading very gently after each addition (don’t over knead it – you don’t want it to get tough).
3. Eventually, as the dough becomes easier to handle, transfer it to a clean floured surface and form it into a loaf around 25cm x 8cm. Slice a thin slice off the loaf and roll and stretch the slice on a floured surface until it forms a long, skinny rope-like shape. Cut the rope into 1-inch segments and transfer to a bowl: this is your gnocchi. For a professional look, you can press the top of each gnocchi with the back of a fork.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add the gnocchi and simmer until the gnocchi rises to the top of the Drain and toss gently with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. At this point you can make the sauce.
5. Warm a large flat bottom frying pan gently then add 2 tsp of olive Gently sweat the onions and garlic until soft.
6. Add the asparagus, broad beans, peas and a pinch of salt, and continue to cook for 1-2 mins.
7. Add the sugar snap peas and spinach, followed by the vegetable stock and lemon
8. Add your cooked gnocchi back to the pan before whisking in the butter and remaining olive oil to thicken the
9. Finish by adding the picked mint leaves and season to taste
10. Divide between the serving Serve with more picked mint leaves, lemon zest, crumbled Persian feta and grated parmesan or hard ricotta cheese.
