Homemade gnocchi with peas

This homemade gnocchi recipe is pretty rustic. There is something incredibly satisfying about making your own from scratch. It pains me to admit that the process was so easy, I can’t believe I bought pre-packaged from the supermarket all these years.

You need five ingredients and there are five steps to this delicious dish.

Serves 2.

Ingredients

• 400g potatoes (the floury kind)
• 350g peas
• 50g plain flour
• 1/2 a bunch of fresh thyme
• 50g Parmesan cheese

Method

1. Wash and peel potatoes, chop into 3cm chunks and cook in a large pan of boiling salted water for 12 minutes, or until tender.
2. Drain potatoes and steam dry for 2 minutes, then return to the pan and mash well. Taste and season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper, then tip on to a clean work surface. Fill the empty pan with boiling kettle water and place on a high heat. Use your hands to scrunch the flour with the potato, then divide into 24 pieces. Squeeze each in your palm to compress into little uneven gnocchi, then drop into the boiling water for 1 minute, or until they float.
3. Cook peas by placing them in a frying pan on medium-low heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Stir occasionally.
4. Strip in most of the thyme leaves, then use a slotted spoon to add gnocchi straight in. Finely grate Parmesan and toss well, adding 100ml of gnocchi cooking water to emulsify it into a nice sauce.
5. Taste, season to perfection, then dish up.