Although I am no Italian, I happen to have grown up on gnocchi, so they are my ultimate comfort food. In Poland, they are called ‘kopytka’ (something that translates as ‘little hoofs’) and apart from the nutmeg, they are very much the same as gnocchi, yet bigger and less cute looking as they aren’t typically ridged. My Gran used to make them all the time when I was a kid and I loved them, especially the pan-fried sort, basted in butter…(yup! not vegan!) and fried onion.
In fact, if not for my mum who was obsessed with getting vegetables into my brother and I (I’m forever grateful to her that she did that), I would say that as I was under my Gran’s watch after school until my parents finished work, my diet was predominately made up of potatoes and white flour (pasta, gnocchi, pierogi, yeast buns with savoury potato filling, you name it!) I was a skinny little kid so I got away with that for a while, but when I hit puberty I suddenly started filling out. Unfortunately, it did not escape the attention of my especially mean male classmate who felt compelled to comment on the size of my hips (what an a**hole!) and gave me a complex for life. Teenage boys like him should be home schooled! While vegan gnocchi is no health food, it is the ultimate comfort food and in this miserable weather (it’s been raining so much here that the local river has burst its banks), it is exactly what I feel like eating. Plus, gnocchi itself isn’t actually bad for you at all as it’s mostly made up of potatoes, so if you want to make them as healthy as possible, skip the pan-frying and serve them with a light tomato sauce instead. While the instructions may seem a bit daunting at first, please don’t be put off. The process is actually really quite simple, especially if you skip the ridging part. The reason the instructions are a bit verbose is that there is a bit of know-how to making vegan gnocchi and I wanted you to be aware of all the pitfalls so that you have the best chance of success off the bat. The key to light, pillowy vegan gnocchi is using as little flour as you can possibly get away with and just the right amount of kneading – not like bread kneading, more like folding the dough gently onto itself. If you do not work the dough enough the gnocchi will be too soft and fray at the edges during cooking, but if you overwork it too much, gluten will develop in the flour and the end product will be unpleasantly gummy. This is why I suggest you incorporate half of the flour with a knife using a cutting motion, like you would when making pastry, and only then use your hands and add the rest of the flour as needed. Work the dough very gently until it’s uniform, not sticky, not dry and of medium firmness (yet pliable). Either boil them or boil, cool and pan-fry them, coat them in a light sauce and the dinner has been served.
3 tbsp olive oil a few fresh sage leaves 2 garlic cloves, chopped finely 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional) salt and black pepper, to taste mild chilli flakes (optional) toasted hazelnuts, crushed (optional)
