Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Kalamata Olive “Pesto”

There was quite the dilemma at our table when I told the fellas their choices for the “Orange & Black” Improv Cooking Challenge. They wished to try “all the above”, so we made two meals -- one over here, which was slightly Southwesty, & this one, was moderately Mediterranean.

We served the gnocchi with blackened salmon, for one more layer of orange & black…

• 2 c. mashed sweet potato (bake sweet potatoes @ 400° for about an hour, let cool)
• 1 c. ricotta cheese (let drain overnight until it’s about 6 oz.)
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 c. gluten-free flour, plus some for the work surface

I started out by draining the ricotta overnight so it would be nice & dry for the gnocchi. I also baked the sweet potatoes ahead of time.(This was my first time using Bob’s Red Mill® Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. It worked, but tasted slightly “rice-y”, I thought…) You can see I tried to make the ridges with a fork, but that wasn’t working for me. I’ve since picked up a gnocchi board at the kitchen store to use on the next batch…

After the gnocchi was sitting around drying a little before cooking; I started the tedious process of hand-chopping the pesto ingredients. (Using the food processor would’ve made this too pasty, I think.)

• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 6 oz. Kalamata black olives, pitted and chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1.5 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 c. fresh basil leaves (about 2 oz.) chopped

Time to brown the gnocchi in butterI may or may not have eaten half while waiting for everyone to show up from school/work.

The salmon was simple. It wasn’t truly blackened. I used a tablespoon each of dark brown sugar, espresso powder & Cajun seasoning. I stuck it in a 425° oven for 10-12 minutes. Came out perfect!

The fellas love the Kalamata condiment! This nacho plate happened more than once with the leftovers:Yes! That’s tortilla chips, salmon, pesto & a little Colby-Jack… to. die. for.

Here are the links to the other Orange & Black participants’ foods:

An InLinkz Link-up