The Fault in our Stars: Green Garlic Gnocchi
After green garlic gnocchi with red mustard leaves, the waiter said, “Dessert next. More stars first?” I shook my head. Two glasses was enough for me. Champagne was no exception to my high tolerance for depressants and pain relievers; I felt warm but not intoxicated. But I didn’t want to get drunk. Nights like this one didn’t come along often, and I wanted to remember it.
THE FAULT IN OUR STARS
The Fault in our Stars: Oranjee Menu
The Fault in our Stars: Green Garlic Gnocchi
The Fault in Our Stars: Green Garlic Gnocchi
A recipe for green garlic gnocchi from the book, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.
Ingredients
- 3 - green garlic bulbs including tender greens, minced
- 1 tbsp - olive oil
- 3 - 4 1 1/2 LB - russet potatoes
- 10 oz / 283g / 1 1/2 cups - all purpose flour
- 1 - egg large
- salt and pepper
- 3 tbsp - unsalted butter
- 4 - mustard green leaves or any dark leafy greens, stemmed and 1" chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Pierce each potato with a fork and generously drizzle with oil and salt. Roast on a sheet pan in the oven for 1 hour or until soft and cooked through.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, heat one tbsp of oil with 2/3 of the minced green garlic. Cook for just a few minutes or until softened. Set aside and let it cool.
- Let the potatoes cool for a few minutes. Peel the skins off the potato and if your fingers are sensitive to the heat, use a towel to hold the potato down. At this point, you can use a ricer or strainer. You want the potatoes completely smooth and lump free.
- Create a well in the middle of the prepared potatoes and crack in one egg, cooked green garlic, half of the flour, and a generous pinch of salt.
- Whisk the mixture together with a fork as if you're making pasta. The mixture should start forming into a ball of dough. If your dough is wet, add more flour. The dough should be dry to the touch. Press the dough together in as few motions as possible. The more we work the dough, the tougher it will get.
- Quarter the dough and roll out one portion on a lightly floured surface into a long log. My logs were about 1/2" thick.
- Cut the dough into 1" pieces with a knife of bench scraper. To create the ridges, run each gnocchi along a fork. Repeat these steps with the rest of the dough.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt. Cook the gnocchi in the boiling water just until it floats to the top.
- While you're waiting for the gnocchi to cook, heat a saucepan over medium high heat with the butter. Add the last bit of chopped green garlic and cook just until soft. Add the chopped dark greens and cook until tender and softened.
- Turn the heat to high, and add the cooked gnocchi. Cook until the gnocchi gets slightly crispy and golden brown. Season with salt and pepper.
