The GNOCCHI WITH LEEK AND WALNUT CREAM are a first course with a delicate and refined flavor, where the softness of potato gnocchi meets a velvety leek cream—sweet and fragrant—slowly cooked to highlight all of its natural delicacy. The result is a harmonious and comforting dish, able to envelop the palate with simplicity and elegance.
Walnuts, coarsely chopped and lightly toasted, add a crunchy and aromatic note that creates a pleasant contrast in texture, completing the dish with balance. Each bite contains authentic, well-balanced flavors, perfect for seasonal and genuine cooking.
Ideal for an autumn or winter lunch, these gnocchi—made from a few quality ingredients—become a warm, comforting, and irresistibly homey dish.
You might also like:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 Servings
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 2.2 lb red potatoes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- to taste salt
- 2 leeks
- 1 cup heavy cream (or half cream and half milk)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- to taste nutmeg
- 1/2 cup walnut halves
- 1.4 oz Parmesan (grated)
For the gnocchi with leek and walnut cream you will need
- 2 Pots
- 1 Pan
- 1 Food processor
- 1 Potato ricer
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Gnocchi board
- 1 Work surface
Preparation of gnocchi with leek and walnut cream
Wash the potatoes, place them in a pot and boil them with their skins on in plenty of salted water for about 30 minutes. As soon as they’re cooked, peel them, pass them through a potato ricer and collect the pulp in a bowl or on a work surface.
Let them cool slightly, season with salt and add the flour. Knead until you obtain a homogeneous, compact dough. On a lightly floured work surface, form rolls about the thickness of a finger and cut them into pieces about 3/4 inch long.
Roll the gnocchi over a gnocchi board or the back of a fork to turn them into slightly ridged shell shapes.
Once the gnocchi are made, place them on a floured tray or on a clean cloth. Do not let them rest for too long before boiling them, otherwise they will become too soft.
Thoroughly wash the leeks to remove any soil and slice them into thin rounds. Sweat them in a pan with the butter and a drizzle of oil over low heat.
Add a pinch of salt and cook until they become soft. Add the cream and let it simmer for 5 minutes to develop flavor.Allow to cool slightly and blend everything until you obtain a smooth, velvety cream.
Return it to the pan and season with pepper and nutmeg.Coarsely chop the walnuts and toast them in a pan for 2 minutes.
Boil the gnocchi in plenty of salted water. When they rise to the surface, scoop them out with a slotted spoon and toss them in the leek cream. Add the Parmesan and some of the walnuts.
Toss your gnocchi with leek and walnut cream and enjoy them hot and creamy.
Finish the dish with the remaining chopped walnuts.
Variations
Also excellent with sweet gorgonzola or taleggio added to the cream.
For an aromatic note, add thyme or sage.
