Creamy Gnocchi with Black Olives

YIELDS: 4 servings PREP TIME: 40 min. COOK TIME: 1 hr. 30 min. TOTAL TIME: 2 hr. 10 min.

TOOLS

• 2 small mixing bowls • 1 small saucepan • 1-2 deep skillet or saucepan • 1 shallow medium skillet • Heat-resistant spatula(s) • Cutting board • Knife • Power blender or immersion blender

INGREDIENTS

Gnocchi Dough

• 4 medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes (If not available, other potatoes work too), baked • 2 tsp salt • 2 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, powdered (can be substituted with parmesan cheese powder) • 1 cup all-purpose flour or Tipo 00 flour • Celeriac (Root of Celery) Puree

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter • 1/2 medium-sized yellow onion, diced • 1 celeriac (can be substituted with 3-4 parsnips), roughly sliced into pieces • 1/2 cup heavy cream • 1/2 cup whole milk

Olive Tapenade

• 1 cup pitted black olives, removed from pickling liquid • 1/3 medium-sized yellow onion, diced • 2 tbsp olive oil • A pinch of salt (about 1/8 tsp) • Olive Breadcrumbs

• 4 tbsp breadcrumbs • 10 pitted black olives, removed from pickling liquid • 2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Marinated Celery

• 1 stick celery, sliced thinly (0.1 inches) • 1 tbsp olive oil • 1 tbsp sherry vinegar • Black pepper, freshly ground • A pinch of salt (about 1/8 tsp)

BY YUJUNG LEE, ILLUSTRATIONS BY AMY YANG

Directions

For the toppings

Olive Breadcrumbs

1. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs and black pepper. 2. Microwave the black olives to remove excess moisture, mince them finely. 3. Mix 1 with 2.

Marinated Celery

1. In a separate bowl, combine all ingredients except the celery first and mix well. 2. Add the celery slices to 3, mix well, and set aside for marination.

For the Celeriac Puree

1. In a deep skillet, melt butter and cook diced onion on a medium-high heat. 2. When the onions become translucent, add the roughly sliced celeriac or parsnip and continue cooking for 5 minutes at medium heat using a spatula. 3. Add heavy cream and milk to the skillet, and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to mediumlow and simmer for about 30-40 minutes until the celeriac or parsnip slices become soft. 4. Blend the mixture using an immersion blender until the puree has a smooth texture. If you do not have an immersion blender, pour the mixture into a power blender and blend until smooth.

For the Olive Tapenade

1. In a small saucepan on medium-high heat, drizzle olive oil and cook diced onion until translucent. 2. Turn down the heat to low, add the olives and let the olives sizzle and become well mixed with the onion for 15 minutes. 3. Using an immersion blender, blend using the pulse feature to create a coarsely chopped olives and onion mixture. If you do not have an immersion blender, you could use a food processor or manually chop 10 using a knife.

For the Gnocchi

1. Peel the baked potatoes and mash using a potato ricer or strainer. This prevents any large lumps of potato in the dough. 2. Spread the riced potato onto a flat working surface. 3. Sprinkle salt and powdered Reggiano cheese (or parmesan cheese powder) on the potato. 4. Gently mix using a bench scraper or by hand. 5. Sprinkle just enough flour to form a ball of dough. It should not be soft like mashed potatoes and should have as little flour as possible to just maintain the structure. A good way to check is trying to roll out the dough; if it breaks apart, add more flour. 6. Roll out the dough into a log of 1 inch diameter. If it is too long, cut it into multiple logs. 7. Cut the log into small pieces about 1/2 an inch thick. 8. In a deep pot, bring water to a boil. Season the water with a generous pinch of salt. 9. Add gnocchi one by one into the boiling water and wait until they float to the surface. This means the gnocchi is fully cooked. 10. Drain the gnocchi and rinse with cold water to remove excess starch to help with making a crispier surface. 11. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil onto the gnocchi to prevent sticking to each other. 12. In a shallow medium skillet on medium-high heat, drizzle some olive oil and add the gnocchi. 13. Fry them until each side becomes golden-brown in color and crispy.

For Plating

1. Add about 2 tbsp of olive tapenade onto a flat plate and roughly spread it out to create a base layer. 2. Drizzle the celeriac puree on the olive tapenade to create a contrast between black olives and the white puree. About 2-3 spoonfuls would be enough. 3. Add the fried gnocchi on top of the puree. 4. Sprinkle pieces of marinated celery on top of the gnocchi, 1-2 pieces on each gnocchi. 5. If you have truffle oil, drizzle about 1/2 tbsp for a boost of flavor. 6. Grate some fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over top to finish. Enjoy!