Smoked Potato Gnocchi with Rapini and Tallegio

When hubs and I moved out of suburbia and first began living together post-wedding - one of our missions was to find a little hole in the wall restaurant that we could call our own.  We wanted to find a small spot, outside of the usual suspects that every person in Toronto is making reservations at on a given night.  Some place with great food, intimate atmosphere and friendly staff.  After following someones recommendation, we discovered the perfect spot for us.  With an effort to keep this spot our little secret, I will not reveal the name (though I am sure some of you will probably be able to figure it out).  With a constantly changing menu, one dish always remains - their homemade smoked potato gnocchi with rapini and tallegio .  It's rich but light, bold yet subtle, and tastes 100% homemade with love - my favorite flavor of all. 

When a particular gnocchi loving friend of mine was in the books for a dinner party at my place, I figured this would be a fantastic dish for her and her mans.  I will call her Bean.  Bean loves pasta.  Bean loves it just as much as I do.  Food in general is actually the main foundation of our friendship.  I remember back in uni days, Bean and I used to plan our exam study sessions around what we were going to eat.  Monday is Biochem and Swiss Chalet,  Tuesday is Stats and Pizza and so on....  If bean and I spend too much time together there is bound to be an abundance of weight gain, which probably makes it a good thing that our visits are infrequent (but still ever so special).  However, this means that deliciousness is a MUST when we do see each other - and this gnocchi dish fit the bill.  Bean had seconds... and thirds. and no. Bean is not fat.

Chef Note: Since I expect most of you (like myself) do not have a smoker in your kitchen.  You can buy liquid smoke or smoked salt to achieve the same smoke flavor that is essential for this dish.

Ingredients:
4 large russet potatoes
5 egg yolks
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese

Salt

EVOO

2 garlic cloves (minced)

1/2 bunch rapini (trimmed)

2 cups coarsely chopped Tallegio cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

Liquid smoke OR smoked salt

To begin, bake your potatoes on a baking sheet for 1 1/2 hours at 400 degrees.  When cool enough to handle, cut your potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh.  Pass the flesh through a potato ricer on to a baking sheet covered in a kitchen towel.  Place another towel over it and put in the fridge for 1 hour.

Lay the potato onto a clean work area, make a mound with a well in the center (similar to what you would do to make homemade pasta).  Drop your egg yolks in the well and add your flour and Parmesan cheese.  Mix together by hand to form a smooth ball of dough.  Kneading just until it no longer sticks to your fingers (use more flour if needed).  Divide the dough into 4 and then roll out each ball into a long "snake-like" log about 3/4-inch thick.  Cut the logs into 3/4-inch pieces to form gnocchi.  

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Chop the rapini into 1 inch pieces and cut any of the thick stalks in half as well.  In a large skillet, heat about 2-3 tbsp of EVOO over medium heat and add your rapini.  Saute for about 2 minutes and then add your garlic - saute for 1 minute.  Add 1 ladle full of the boiling water and cook - stirring - for 4 minutes (until rapini is tender but not soggy and the liquid has evaporated).  Tip the mixture into a large serving bowl and keep warm.  Add half of your gnocchi to the boiling water until they rise to the surface.  Remove with a slotted spoon and place in the bowl with the rapini.  Repeat with the rest of the gnocchi.  Add your taleggio and a ladle of cooking water to the gnocchi along with a few drops of liquid smoke (or a couple pinches of smoked salt) and toss until creamy.  Season with salt and pepper (or just pepper if you had used the smoked salt).  

Serve & Enjoy! 

Xo Chef Natty