2019 Ka’ Manciné, “Beragna”, Rossese di Dolceacqua, Italy + Solo Italiano's Gnocchi al Vero Pesto Genovese
Morgan Brockington is the hero for us all by getting an invitation to step into Solo Italiano with Chef Paolo Laboa to make his award-winning Vero Pesto Genovese recipe for one of our Wine Club pairings this month. And when we say award-winning, we ain’t kidding. Paolo’s pesto won the 2008 World Pesto Championship. You’ve never had pesto like this. It is so creamy and vibrant, velvety, and delicious. And freezable, so you can make more than you need and freeze some for another day.
Combined with homemade pillowy gnocchi and a perfectly aged 2019 Ka’ Manciné, “Beragna”, Rossese di Dolceacqua, Italy (available with our April Wine Club deliveries) Rossesse that grows not too distant from Paolo’s hometown in Liguria, from ancient vines, planted on their own rootstocks in 1872. And you have yourself an authentic Ligurian meal.
RECIPES
VERO PESTO AL GENOVESE
Makes 1 1/8 cups
Ingredients:
6 cups loosely packed basil leaves, preferably Genovese + Chef Laboa also highly recommends Olivia’s Garden’s Basil grown and available locally in Maine.
1/3 cup pine nuts, preferably Italian
1/3 of a small garlic clove, any center green stem removed and discarded
1/2 cup fruity, mild extra-virgin olive oil, preferably Ligurian, plus more to store the pesto, if needed
1 teaspoon medium or flaky coarse sea salt
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Sardo (also known as Fiore Sardo) or aged Pecorino Toscano cheese
Steps:
Place the blender jar in the freezer to chill. Meanwhile, soak the basil leaves in water, about 5 minutes.
Combine the nuts and garlic in the chilled jar, then cover them with olive oil. Puree until the nuts are very finely chopped and the mixture is creamy, then add salt.
In 4 additions, lift the basil from the water, shaking off excess, but not all, water from leaves (a bit of water will help emulsify the pesto.) Pulse until the mixture is smooth and bright green.
Add the 2 cheeses and pulse again until they are incorporated into the pesto.
Transfer the pesto to a small container. If you’re not using it within 30 minutes, cover with a thin film of oil and refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen pesto in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for about 1 hour.
In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, add 2 TBSP olive oil, chopped greens, onion, garlic, a splash of wine, and cider vinegar and lightly sauté
Cook to taste - wilted or cooked down. Your preferences. The closer to wilted the more texture. Taste as you cook. Season with salt and pepper and pour over the gnocchi.
GNOCCHI
Gnocchi is the perfect pasta starter because it requires no machine (extruder or sheeter) and it is relatively easy to put together. It is also one of those components that people can do together. An activity for all ages. (Think of your Paolo learning to make pasta and presto in Genoa with his Mama). Anyone can practice and experiment with the dough texture, rolling out, and sauce accompaniment. Remember: practice makes perfect. And the more time and company you have at your side the better it will come out. A final note here. Don't salt your pasta; salt your water for boiling pasta. Put in enough kosher salt until the water tastes like the sea. Use your senses and trust your palate.
Ingredients
300 grams "00" milled flour
Handful of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 egg
3 russet potatoes, peeled
Steps
One key caveat with gnocchi dough, versus pasta dough in general, is you don't want to let it sit. Pasta dough benefits from the gluten binding in refrigeration for 30 minutes. This is not pasta dough. The potato/flour combo will turn to ping-pong balls, not the gnocchi pillows that we all love. So peel and boil your potatoes right before you are ready to make the dough.
Boil the potatoes in a large pot of water until thoroughly cooked—about 25 to 30 for whole large russets. Check with a fork or knife. Potatoes are done when they are tender enough that a utensil easily slides into the middle.
Once the potatoes are thoroughly cooked put them in a ricer or food processor to turn them into a workable consistency. The ricer helps process the potatoes right into your bowl. This video reel that Morgan took is a very good reference. Please know that we do not expect you to cut the gnocchi like Sous Chef and Pasta Extraordinaire, Francisco Lehman (photo with Paolo below), you might hurt yourself if you tied! He is awesome!!
Next, add the egg and handful of grated Parmigiano and work with your hands until the whole mixture is uniform, but sticky.
Now you’re ready to roll! For rolling out, you will want a bench scraper (very helpful in the kitchen) like Fransico uses in the video referenced above and your hands. Cut a segment of your dough and roll it out evenly to the thickness of a cork. Create a couple of rows to cut more at once if you are comfortable, but use the bench scraper to cut out those little pillows that will shortly head for the water!
Place the beautiful gnocchi in a pot of very salted boiling water. When they float, they’re ready!
Plating for each person:
Coat the gnocchi with some pesto, depending on how many people you’re serving, in a warm sautée pan over medium heat. Again, that we’ve linked to above is a great visual to reference for these simple steps.
Put on to a dinner plate or platter if serving family-style
Finish with a drizzle of EVOO over the top.
