This was a dish inspired by Pinterest when I was browsing there a couple of weeks ago. I was instantly mesmerised by how pretty these pasta looked in pink and had to try it out myself. I had kept this dish simple with mostly vegetables. You can turn it into a pure vegetarian dish as well swapping out the chicken stock for a vegetable stock.
Difficulty: Medium
Time: 20min prep, 1.5hrs cooking
Serves: 2
Ingredients
Ricotta Beetroot Gnocchi
- 200g ricotta
- 180g cooked whole beetroot roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup parmesan
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 200g flour
- salt
- pepper
Tarragon Green Pea Cream Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic finely sliced
- 1 shallot finely sliced
- 2 cups baby green peas defrosted
- 1 cup double cream
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 tbsp tarragon
- salt
- pepper
Garnish
- 4 tbsp baby green peas
- 2 tbsp shaved pecorino cheese
- 2 tbsp green parts of pea shoots
Method
1. Blend the ricotta and beetroot in a blender until smooth and pour it into a large mixing bowl. Add parmesan, lemon zest, salt, pepper, nutmeg and flour and mix well with a spoon. The dough mixture should be slightly sticky and soft but formed enough so you can roll it into a long rope later. Add more flour if required. Leave it to rest in the bowl for 30 minutes.
2. Pan fry the shallots and garlic in a pan with olive oil until soft and fragrant. Add it to a blender with the peas, tarragon and chicken stock, blend until smooth. Pass it through it sieve into a sauce pan, add cream, salt and pepper and bring it to gentle simmer. Keep warm for serving later.
3. Generously dust flour on a large chopping board, spoon out a large portion of the gnocchi mix, shape it into a long rope about 1cm in diameter and cut into 2cm pieces with a sharp knife. Dust all sides with flour. Continue till finished.
4. Boil a large pot of hot water with 1 tsp of salt. Add the gnocchi in hot water in batches. Scoop them out when they are floating in water and cooked.
5. Quickly blanch the green peas for garnishing in hot water for 30 seconds and take them out.
4. Assemble by pouring some sauce at the bottom of the plate, top with gnocchi, green peas, pecorino and pea shoots.
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