Pan Fried Gnocchi with Ramp Pesto

It’s still a bit early in the season so most ramps are too young to harvest. With a little effort we found a more mature patch along a sunny south eastern facing ridge. We harvested just enough leaves for a small batch of pesto and left the bulbs in the ground. For the pesto I kept it super simple. Ramps, pistachios, olive oil, and salt blitz in the food processor and served on top of pan fried gnocchi (in lots of butter) and some freshly grated Parmesan and ground pepper. It’s a once a year kind of meal.

If harvesting ramps, don’t yank the bulbs, don’t raze entire hillsides, don’t take more than you need. They take seven years to reach maturity.

Video of the process below.

Gnocchi Ingredients

2½ pounds russet potatoes (about 4 large)

1¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 egg

Butter

Instructions

Boil potatoes for 35 - 45 minutes until fork tender.
Drain and allow to cool so you can handle them but they need to still be warm for the next step. If allowed to cool they’ll become gummy.
Peel the potatoes with your fingers or by using the edge of a spoon. Cut up the potatoes into small chunks.
Press all of the warm potatoes through a potato ricer into a large bowl.
Sprinkle on the flour and salt, and work together with your hands for about 30 seconds. Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the egg, which should already be beaten.
Mix together with your hands for another 30 seconds.
Pour out the contents of the bowl onto a well dusted work surface and continue to knead together for another 1 - 2 minutes. An important note is to not overwork this dough. The more you work it, the denser the gnocchi will be.
Divide the dough into about 4 - 6 different balls and dust each with more flour.
Begin rolling each ball out with your hands to create a long rope of rough about ¾ inch thick. Use more flour if it feels like the dough is sticky. And again, don’t overwork!
Using a knife or bench knife, cut each rope into approximately 1 inch pieces.
You could stop here, and transfer them to a tray dusted with semolina to prevent sticking.
Or you can continue with embellishing them a bit by using the tines of a fork to create the classic dimples and grooves you might often see. Carefully take each individual piece in your fingers, and with your other hand press the tip of your fork into the center of the gnocchi, and roll it gently to form the grooves. Now you can set it into your tray with semolina until ready to cook.
Bring a big pot of water to boil. Cook the gnocchi for about 4 minutes until they float to the surface. Drain the gnocchi.
In a heavy skillet, melt butter and bring up to medium/high heat.
Transfer the boiled gnocchi into the hot pan and allow to crisp for about 3 minutes on each side. They’ll start to turn golden brown and form a nice texture on the shell, while the interior stays light and fluffy.
Now toss the pan fried gnocchi with the pesto. Plate each portion and top generously with freshly grated parmesan and black pepper.

Pesto Ingredients

¼ cup of pistachios

½ cup olive oil

Sprinkle of salt

Two handfuls of washed ramp leaves

Grated parmesan (optional)

Instructions

Shell the pistachios and blitz in the blender
Add all of the other ingredients and blend until smooth
Add more olive oil if pesto is too thick