Name: Smoked Aubergine Gnocchi with Wild Garlic, Mint and Basil Pesto (Gnocchi di Melanzane con Pesto di Aglio Orsino, Menta e Basilico)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: Serves: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: Grana Padano, grated; Fresh herbs, such as basil and mint; Almonds, chopped; Salt and black pepper, to taste; 25 g basil leaves; Fine semolina flour, to dust; 10 g mint leaves; 25 g wild garlic leaves; 90 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 40 g Grana Padano, grated; 12 g almonds, chopped; 1.5 kg aubergines (to make 500 g aubergine purée); 250 g plain/all-purpose flour; 120 g Grana Padano, finely grated; Salt, to taste; 1 tsp dried oregano

Preparation info

Serves:
4

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
1 hr 20

Appears in

Better Than Nonna

By Danilo Cortellini

Published 2024

About

Who doesn’t love gnocchi? Soft, little potato pillows, dressed and eaten like pasta. You can make gnocchi with other veggies too, like these made with smoked aubergines. I serve them with a bright and fragrant seasonal pesto but they can be dressed with anything, even a simple tomato sauce.

Ingredients

1.5 kg aubergines (to make 500 g aubergine purée)
250 g

Method

Cook the aubergines over a barbecue or open fire until burned and blackened on the outside and soft in the middle. Alternatively, bake them whole in the oven at 200°c for about 30 minutes until soft, though you will miss out on the lovely smoky flavour.<