Cumin pear gnocchi with ver belegen sauce

Gnocchi

Boil the potatoes skin on in a large pot or pan with a fair amount of salt. Heat them up gently to prevent them from bursting open and becoming water logged. Cook till tender (poke a table knife right through and retract, if it slips of the blade they are done).

Strain and set about pealing the potatoes. They need to still be warm when you mix the dough so work with a tea towel to shield your hand against the heat.

Mash the potatoes as well as you can. Add half the flour and the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and add more flour until you have a workable dough.

Get your largest pot, mine is the pressure cooker, filled high with water and well salted to boiling

Tip: use two eggs if your eggs are a bit small.

Break fist size chunks off the dough and use your hands to role it into a long sausage shape, about 2cm in diameter. Use flour as needed and don’t be shy, it becomes a sticky mess if u are.

VERY IMPORTANT: Do not overwork the dough, it needs to be light and fluffy, so be gentle and brisk. Over working the starch will have a stodgy, rather rubbery result! With a flat blade knife cut 2cm lengths off your sausage.

Toss them in more flour and separate them on a floured surface. Using a fork press grooves onto the gnocchi to allow the sauce to be picked up by each dumpling.

Ask the kids to help its great fun 😉 It really doesn’t matter what they look like as long as they are all basically the same size – if you want to call it rustic so be it.

The water should be boiling rapidly. Add the uncooked gnocchi little by little, some cooks bounce them of the board, so they cook separately. Gently stir the pot at intervals.

As soon as the dumplings float to the top they are cooked, use a strainer spoon or basket to collect them and douse with olive oil while resting.

Tip: Your gnocchi may be frozen in a single layer container for up to 3 weeks and still taste wonderful after defrosted and revived in some boiling water.

Pear gnocchi and ver belegen sauce

Try and find sweet tasty pears. Cut your pear down each side of the stem to leave a thin slice of the whole pear shape. Cut the rest of the pear into wedges, remove the seeds if u like but I couldn’t bother and coat all with olive oil.

Dust some ground cumin over each side. If your pears happen not to be sweet add a little castor sugar (it’s the sweetness of the pear and the tangy bite of the cheese that make this dish)

Heat up a large skillet and add some cumin seeds. Wait till the cumin releases they fragrance and add olive oil. Grill the pear on high till well caramelized.

Add a shot of brandy and allow to flame. Setting the pears aside we deglaze the skillet with some vegetable stock and cream, add the Ver Belegen cheese (go on add more if u want) and allow to reduce. Keep an eye out, if it reduces too much add some more cream.

Tip: If you feel your sauce needs seasoning add a little black pepper and Parmesan cheese instead of salt.

Plate some of your fresh home made gnocchi in a pasta bowl and add just enough sauce to coat the dumplings.

Arrange the pear wedges around the edge and make the center slice stand akimbo in the middle. Finish with shavings of Parmesan cheese and garnish with the roasted pine kernels, pomegranate seeds and a drizzle of olive oil. Season with cracked black pepper and Maldon salt. Enjoy!

Tip: pre-heat your pasta plates in the oven for a hot meal at serving.

Recipe reprinted with permission from Foodie SA. Follow along on Instagram for more.