When Kate wants carbs, how does she satisfy her craving in a healthy fashion? In this month’s Cooking with Catherine, we explore a perfect recipe for a fresh, comforting meal that is rich in carbs: gnocchi! The recipe comes from The Royal Touch: Simply Stunning Home Cooking from a Royal Chef, which is written by Carolyn Robb.
Robb made this delightful homemade fresh gnocchi meal for the Queen as a trial dinner at Highgrove, and it helped Robb land a permanent job with the Royal Highnesses. Below is the perfect recipe that is as delicious as it sounds. Kate can even include her children in the meal preparation when rolling and cutting the gnocchi!
| Servings |
4 Medium Size Portions
|
- 2 large Potatoes
- 4 ounces Plain All-Purpose Flour
- 1 generous handful Fresh Basil
- 1 generous handful Fresh Parsley
- 1 generous handful Fresh Chives
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Nutmeg, to taste
- 8 Plum Tomatoes
- 2 ounces Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 20 Bocconcini Cheese Balls
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
Ingredients
Gnocchi
Garnish
|
|
- Wash the potatoes, but do not peel them. Cook in boiling salted water until fork tender. Drain them and pop them on a baking tray in a low oven for about 10 minutes, to dry them out. Leave them to cool a little before peeling off the skins. Mash them with a fork, rub them through a sieve or put them through a vegetable mill.
- Rinse and thoroughly chop the herbs
- Place the mashed potato in a large mixing bowl and add the egg, flour and all the herbs into a well in the center of the bowl. Bring it all together to form a smooth dough, that is neither too sticky or too dry; adding more flour if necessary, use either your hands or a spoon. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- On a well floured board, roll the dough into long, thin sausage shapes about 1cm (1/2 inch). Chill for a least 15 minutes, then cut them into small 3cm (1 1/4 inch) chunks.
- Place them on a floured tray. (At this point if you're not going to be using it immediately freeze them. They can be cooked very successfully from frozen).
- Place the gnocchi in a large pan of simmering water with salt and a splash of oil. When they rise to the surface, they are cooked; this takes one to two minutes depending on their size. Drain well.
- Peel, seed, and dice the plum tomatoes. Keep on one side.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a nonstick frying pan. Toss the gnocchi into the pan to crisp them, when they are crisp and golden in color add the tomato fillets to warm them through.
- Pile the gnocchi and tomato fillets on to warm plates. Toss a few bocconcini (or some diced mozzarella) onto each plate, sprinkle with grated Parmesan, and add small sprigs of Greek basil. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and finish with a few twists of black pepper.
Be sure to check out the Royal Touch cookbook for stories of Chef Robb’s time with the Royal Family. Here are some other recipes that were shared through the previews from the cookbook that you could try:
We love how Chef Robb says that she loves to “serve to her family and friends food that is fit for a king, yet is accessible to us all.” It’s a great way to incorporate a little royalty into your everyday life!
Suzanne
Latest posts by Suzanne (see all)
- Cooking with Catherine: Berry Yogurt Granola Smoothie Popsicles - May 16, 2017
- Cooking with Catherine : Crushed Broad Bean and Goat Cheese Bruschetta - April 18, 2017
- Cooking with Catherine : Royal Gnocchi - January 26, 2017
[…] We also saw how a plate of gnocchi landed one chef a job with the Royal family – and shared the recipe! […]