You can eat it hot or cold, simply dipped in melted butter or enjoyed in various recipes. But fresh from the ocean there’s really nothing like fresh Atlantic lobster and Chef Richard Julien has flown some in from Halifax to create this special recipe.
Lobster Gnocchi
For the Pasta
- large baking (russet) potatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds), scrubbed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tbsp. creamy ricotta
- 1/4 freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, or as needed
Preparation
Potatoes can be baked in a preheated 400°F oven until tender, about 40 minutes, and let them stand just until cool enough to handle. (The hotter the potatoes are when they are peeled and riced, the lighter the gnocchi will be.)
Working quickly and protecting the hand that holds the potatoes with a folded kitchen towel or oven mitt, scrape the skin from the potato with a paring knife. Press the peeled potatoes through a potato ricer. Alternatively, the potatoes can be passed through a food mill fitted with the fine disc, but a ricer makes fluffier potatoes and therefore lighter gnocchi. Spread the riced potatoes into a thin, even layer on the work surface, without pressing them or compacting them. Let them cool completely.
In a small bowl, beat the egg, salt, pepper, and nutmeg together. Gather the cold potatoes into a mound and form a well in the center. Pour the egg mixture into the well. Knead the potato and egg mixtures together with both hands, gradually adding the grated cheese and enough of the flour, about 1 1/2 cups, to form a smooth but slightly sticky dough. It should take no longer than 3 minutes to work the flour into the potato mixture; remember, the longer the dough is kneaded, the more flour it will require and the heavier it will become. As you knead the dough, it will stick to your hands and to the work surface: Repeatedly rub this rough dough from your hands and scrape it with a knife or dough scraper from the work surface back into the dough as you knead.
Wash and dry your hands. Dust the dough, your hands, and the work surface lightly with some of the remaining flour. Cut the dough into six equal pieces and set off to one side of the work surface. Place one piece of dough in front of you and pat it into a rough oblong. Using both hands, in a smooth back-and-forth motion and exerting light downward pressure, roll the dough into a rope 1/2 inch thick, flouring the dough if necessary as you roll to keep it from sticking. (When you first begin making gnocchi, until your hands get the feel of the dough, you may find it easier to cut each piece of dough in half to roll it.)
Slice the ropes into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Sprinkle the rounds lightly with flour and roll each piece quickly between your palms into a rough ball, flouring the dough and your hands as needed to prevent sticking. Hold the tines of a fork at a 45-degree angle to the table with the concave part facing up. Dip the tip of your thumb in flour. Take one ball of dough and with the tip of your thumb, press the dough lightly against the tines of the fork as you roll it downward toward the tips of the tines. As the dough wraps around the tip of your thumb, it will form into a dumpling with a deep indentation on one side and a ridged surface on the other. Set on a baking sheet lined with a floured kitchen towel and continue forming gnocchi from the remaining dough balls. Repeat the whole process with the remaining pieces of dough. At this point the gnocchi must be cooked immediately or frozen.
For the sauce and assembly
- 1 cup cooked cleaned and chopped Atlantic Hard-shell Lobster meat - tail, claw and knuckles.
- 24 ounces cooked Plain Gnocchi - store bought or see recipe.
- 1 cup shucked summer peas
- 12 leaves of fresh Pistou basil
- 1 clove garlic - crushed
- 4 tbsp. lobster oil - see recipe
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 8 stalks of young scallion - cut into 2 inch lengths
- 1 cup Brewed Apple Cider or Radler
- 4 tbsp. sour cream
- 2 ounces Pickled Radish
- 2 ounces fresh picked summer Arugula
- 2 ounces grated parmesean cheese.
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
- In a large sauté pan, melt the butter and add the lengths of scallion and crushed garlic clove season and add the cider or Radler
- Cook on medium heat until the liquid is almost 100 per cent evaporated. Add the cooked gnocchi and sauté until hot. Add the lobster, summer peas and chopped arugula. Sautee, for 2 minutes.
- Add the sour cream, adjust seasoning, toss till hot and plate.
- Top with sharp cheese
- Garnish with pickled radish, lobster oil and Basil leaves.
