roasted red pepper gnocchi, smoked garlic & basil espuma, parmesan crisp
Chef’s note:
Sobell House in Oxfordshire has published its second charity book to raise funds – Food & Wellness: The Sobell House Vegetarian Cook Book. With over 30 recipes from a range of celebrities and local chefs, we share this delicious all-year-round vegetarian dish from The White Hart in Wytham, perfect for either a starter or main course.
Food & Wellness, paperback £17.50.
Order at www.mezepublishing.co.uk – nourish readers get a 15% discount for all books ordered by 7 December
Recipe from The White Hart in Wytham featured in Food & Wellness: The Sobell House Vegetarian Cook Book
- 4 large red-skinned potatoes
- 2 large Anaheim peppers (or similar red point peppers)
- 500 grams ‘00’ flour
- 2 egg yolks
- sea salt flakes
- black pepper
- 80 grams parmesan (or Pecorino cheese; finely grated)
- 100 grams fresh basil leaves
- 1 shallot (peeled and diced)
- 1/2 bulb of smoked garlic
- 500 milliliters double cream
- 80 grams parmesan
- 100 grams parmesan (finely grated)
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
First, make the gnocchi by baking the potatoes whole for 90 minutes until the skin is crisp and the centres are soft and fluffy. Meanwhile, roast the peppers whole over a naked flame until the skin is blackened and charred. Place the peppers into a sealed container to let the skin sweat off.
Put the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and yolks together, adding salt and pepper for seasoning. Halve the baked potatoes and scoop out the centres, discarding the skins. Peel and finely dice the charred peppers.
Add the peppers and egg mixture to the well in the flour, then gradually bring everything together with your fingertips. Mix in the potato, then shape the gnocchi dough into a rough ball and place in a floured bowl. Cover and place in fridge for 30 minutes.
Flour a clean surface and put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Roll out the chilled dough into a large sausage shape with the same diameter as a wine bottle neck, then cut into 1” pieces using the back of a knife. Add half of the gnocchi to the pan of boiling water, cook for roughly six minutes or until the pieces float, then transfer to iced water. Repeat with the second batch.
To make the espuma foam, blanch the basil leaves in boiling water for 20 seconds, then transfer to iced water. Fry the diced shallot with the garlic over a medium heat until translucent. In another pan, boil the cream and reduce by one third. Blend the cream, shallot and garlic together at a high speed for two minutes. Add the grated parmesan, season to taste, then blitz again. Remove the basil from the water and squeeze out the moisture on a tea towel. Add to the blender and blitz for a further five minutes, until you have a bright green creamy sauce.
To make the parmesan crisp, line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Spread out a fine layer of the parmesan and place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and leave to cool.
To serve, remove the gnocchi from the iced water and place on paper towels. Heat a large frying pan with some olive oil and sauté the gnocchi for three minutes on both sides until browned, then divide evenly between serving plates. Gently heat the espuma in a pan, then use a stick blender or whisk to make the sauce frothy. Use a spoon to scoop off the foam and add it to the gnocchi. Serve with the parmesan crisp.