Genovese Pesto Gnocchi w. Pancetta Crisp
Cook Time: ~10 Minutes
Freshly made pesto is a delight, and it’s a shame that it’s one of those things that is so commonly purchased from a jar but can be made in as little as three minutes with as few as five ingredients. This dish is low maintenance, deceptively simple, and a carb wonderland. The soft nuttiness of pesto is balanced out by a garnish of salty pancetta and fresh basil.
You don’t need a library of ingredients to make a delicious pasta dish. Plus, this recipe will teach you how to make your own Genovese pesto; which can be used in many other recipes.
Serves: 2
Prep: ~10 minutes
Cook: ~10 minutes
Ingredients
Gnocchi pasta ~500g
Pancetta ~4 thin rashers
Fresh basil ~30g
5x garlic cloves
Pine nuts ~35g
Parmigiano Reggiano ~200g
Extra virgin olive oil ~125ml
Chilli flakes
Salt & ground black pepper
Notes
Pesto: Some people like their pesto extra garlicky, some like to add lemon juice, and the preference for thickness varies. This is a simple Genovese pesto recipe, but feel free to make it your own.
Equipment
Food processor
Mixing bowl
Baking tray
Mise En Place
Lay the pancetta stips onto a greaseproof-lined baking tray and preheat the oven to 200°C.
For the pesto, lightly toast the pine nuts in a dry pan for ~3 minutes or until golden brown. Leave to cool off. Place the toasted pine nuts, peeled garlic cloves, basil, and Parmigiano (keep some aside for garnish), into a food processor alongside a heavy lashing of salt and ground black pepper. Give that a quick blitz, add a dash of water and then slowly add extra virgin oil and blitz until you get a smooth paste. Set aside.
The Cook
Throw the pancetta into the oven at 200°C and cook until crisp; ensuring to turn halfway through. This should take 6-8 minutes. Once crisp, remove from the oven and place onto a dripping tray or a paper towel to remove the grease. After a few minutes, the pancetta should begin to dry. Snap the rashers into small pieces with your fingers.
Meanwhile, bring a heavily salted pot of water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and gently lower in your gnocchi, which should take 2-5 minutes to cook. When the gnocchis start floating to the surface, it’s ready. Once done, take aside ~15ml of the pasta water and drain the gnocchi.
Combine the pesto, pasta water, and gnocchi in a mixing bowl until coated. To serve, sprinkle over chilli flakes, parmesan, ground black pepper, dressing salt, a basil leaf or two, and the pancetta crisp. Enjoy.
If you attempt this dish, let me know how it goes, and if you variate the recipe in any way. This newsletter relies upon word of mouth, so if you know someone who would enjoy this publication please share it.
Thanks for reading,
Conor