BBQ Aubergine gnocchi (eggplant gnocchi)

Name: BBQ Aubergine gnocchi (eggplant gnocchi)
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: European, Italian, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 500 g of aubergine puree, drained and pat dry (about 1.5 kg raw); 250 g of 00 flour; 120 g of finely grated Grana Padano cheese; 1 yolk; 1 tsp of dried oregano; Salt to taste; 400 g of cherry tomatoes; 1 sprig of basil; 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil; 2 garlic cloves, chopped; 250 g of stracciatella cheese; Salt and pepper to taste

11 steps

Prep:1h 30min

In this day and age who doesn’t know gnocchi? Soft little potato pillows that you dress and eat as if they were pasta…comforting and delicious right? Well, what if I told you, you can make gnocchi not only with potatoes but with many other veggies, starting with smoked BBQ aubergines. To me, this recipe combines my love for pasta and Italian food in general with the attraction I have for BBQ and smoked flavours, even though I am not a big meat eater. I serve the gnocchi with plum sweet tomatoes, stracciatella cheese and fresh basil. Chef’s tips: If stracciatella is difficult to find you can use burrata or even fresh mozzarella. You can make the gnocchi in advance and freeze them. When needed, boil directly from frozen

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 10:03:51 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Unbalanced

Glycemic Index

Moderate

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories697.6 kcal (35%)

Total Fat38.6 g (55%)

Carbs61.7 g (24%)

Sugars6.7 g (7%)

Protein28.2 g (56%)

Sodium1123.8 mg (56%)

Fiber6.2 g (22%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

4 servings

500gaubergine

puree, drained and pat dry, about 1.5 kg raw

250g00 flour

120gGrana Padano cheese

finely grated

1yolk

1 tspdried oregano

salt

to taste

For the dressing

400gcherry tomatoes

1 sprigbasil

4 Tbspextra virgin olive oil

2garlic cloves

chopped

250gstracciatella cheese

Instructions

Step 1

Cook the Aubergine over the BBQ or over open fire. Alternatively, you can bake them at 200 degrees whole for about 30 minutes until they are soft but you will lose the lovely smoky flavour.

Step 2

Do not worry if the aubergine skins burns, that is what we want. They have to be soft in the middle and cooked through while charcoaled on the outside.

Step 3

Place the cooked aubergines in a covered container, the steam will loosen up even more their skin.

Step 4

When cold, carefully remove the burned skin from the aubergine. This step could take time but it will be worth it. I also recommend to wash the aubergine pulp if too many pieces of burnt skin are still attached.

Step 5

At this stage it is fundamental to drain the pulp for as long as you can, even over night to lose as much water as possible. I recommend to add kitchen paper to pat dry. In worst case scenario, you can also, pan roast the pulp in a non-stick pan with just a drizzle of oil and garlic. This step will surely let the excess water to evaporate and the aubergine pulp will concentrate its flavour.

Step 6

When the pulp is firm (and cold) get ready to knead. Remember, when making gnocchi, it is always better to use less flour if you can, to better taste the main ingredient but in this case, this mainly depends from your ability to get rid of as much water as you can from the aubergine pulp.

Step 7

Knead the pulp with the flour, the yolk, the grated cheese, the oregano and a pinch of salt. The dough should very quickly bind together but it won’t be smooth or elastic. Keep in mind, if your dough is too sticky and wet you can still add flour as you knead but do not overwork the dough or it will keep on absorbing more and more flour.

Step 8

Roll with the palm of your hands pieces of dough on the table to create thick and long strips. This type of dough is quite crumbly so take your time to do this. With a dough scraper or a blunt knife cut the strips into little gnocchi and set them aside well-floured. Be ready to cook straight away or freeze them.

Step 9

Wash the tomatoes and carve a little cross incision on each of them. Blanch them for about 15 seconds in boiling water then cooled them straight away in ice. This step will help you to peel them very quickly.

Step 10

Fry the garlic in olive oil then add the chopped tomatoes. Dress with salt and cook for just a couple of minutes. Boil the gnocchi in salted water and when cooked, they will float to the surface. Now toss them straight away into the pan with the chopped tomatoes, add a ladle of pasta water, a drizzle of oil and stir for 30 seconds over medium heat to coat well the gnocchi with the dressing.

Step 11

Plate straight away, top with the dressed stracciatella cheese (just salt), drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and garnish with fresh basil leaves.