Gnocchi with Shallots and Harissa Recipe

African Cuisine

Gnocchi with Shallots and Harissaqw

Medium

Difficulty

Moderate

Costs

1 hour 20 minutes

Cooking Time

Servings

Description

This recipe is a wild fusion of flavors, combining potato dumplings with caramelized shallots and a North African harissa sauce made with pasilla chiles. The dish takes inspiration from Tunisia, Italy, and Latin America, offering a unique taste experience.

Instructions

To make the harissa: Stem and seed the pasillas, then tear them into large pieces. Cover with boiling water in a large bowl. Soak for 20 minutes to soften.
Meanwhile, char the bell peppers over an open gas flame or on a large baking sheet 4 to 6 inches from the broiler, turning often. Set the blackened peppers in a bowl and seal with plastic wrapâ€”or place them in a paper bag and seal tightly.
Drain the chiles, then put them in a large blender. Peel off as many of the blackened bits as you can from the bell peppers, then stem, seed, and core them. Put these into the blender as well.
Set a large skillet over medium heat for a few minutes. Swirl in the oil and add the shallots. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, caraway, coriander, and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Turn off the heat and pour in the vinegar, scraping up any browned bits in the skillet. Scrape the contents of the skillet into the blender. Add the salt as well. Cool for 10 minutes, then cover and pulse repeatedly until smooth, scraping down the inside of the canister at least once.
To make the gnocchi: Position the rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375F. Bake the potatoes on the ovenâ€™s rack until soft and tender, about 1 hour.
Mix the shallots and the oil in a large roasting pan. Bake until soft and slightly browned, about 20 minutes, tossing occasionally. Transfer the shallots to a wire rack to await the assembly of the dish.
Transfer the potatoes to a wire rack to cool for about 1 hour, until just a bit warm and easily handled. Peel the potatoes and put the flesh through a potato ricer and into a large bowl.
Stir the yolks and salt into the riced potatoes, then add 2.25 cups flour. Mix to form a soft dough. Add more flour as necessary to get a consistency that definitely holds together but is soft, not sticky.
Turn the dough out onto a dry, clean work surface thatâ€™s been dusted with flour. Knead until soft and smooth, about 3 minutes. Divide the dough into 8 balls. Roll one ball under your palms into a rope about 16 inches long. Cut the rope crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece up a floured fork to create a small set of indentations around about three-quarters of the dough. Set aside and continue rolling, cutting, and making more gnocchi, dusting the work surface with flour only as needed to keep the dough from sticking.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Drop one-third of the gnocchi in and cook until they float, about 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to fish the gnocchi out of the water and drain thoroughly in a colander. Repeat with the two remaining batches, one at a time.
Add the gnocchi to the warm roasting pan with the shallots. Once all the gnocchi have been boiled, toss the contents of the pan gently with the pecorino. To serve, divide the gnocchi and shallots among 8 serving plates, then dollop each with the harissa sauce. Or spread the gnocchi and shallots on a big platter and spoon the harissa sauce down the center of the platter.

Ingredients