Nothing beats crisp, golden home-made gnocchi with a pillowy soft centre. This courgette gnocchi is perfect for summer with lots of freshness from the lemon and creamy white bean base.

Recipe notes

Can you use pre-made gnocchi? Yes – absolutely. Follow the rest of the recipe in the same way. Store bought gnocchi will work very well here, but will not colour up as nicely as the home-made version.

What to do with the leftover egg whites? I tend to keep things simple and add any leftover whites into scrambled eggs or omelette.

What to do with the potato skins? Drizzle with olive oil and salt and bake until crispy. It makes a terrific snack dipped into herby yoghurt or tzatziki

iNGREDIENTS

Serves 4

For the gnocchi:
100g OO flour (plus more for rolling)
2 egg yolks
1k floury potatoes like King Edwards, Yukon Gold or Maris Pipers
A good pinch of salt
A little oil

For the garnish:
400g tin cannellini beans, drained
2 medium courgettes, thinly sliced
1 large shallot, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely grated
5 or 6 sprigs thyme, picked
A good knob of butter
A handful basil leaves, picked
1 lemon
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Parmesan

RECIPE

1. Wash the potatoes, prick all over, drizzle with a little oil and bake at 190c until the flesh is completely tender to a fork (around 1-1.5 hour, depending on size)
2. Meanwhile place a medium pan on a medium heat with a little oil. Add the shallot and garlic and sweat until softened. Stir in half of the courgette and all of the thyme. Stir until softened, then stir in two thirds of the beans and lemon juice to warm through. Blend until smooth in a food processor, using a little splash of water if necessary to blend. Season to taste
3. Cut the potatoes in half, allow excess steam to billow out, and leave until just cool enough to handle. Pass the potato flesh through a ricer or mash smooth (don’t use a food processor as you don’t want to overwork the potato)
4. Mix the potatoes, egg yolk, flour and a good pinch of salt together to form a shaggy dough
5. Divide the dough into 4 and roll out on a well floured surface into long sausage shapes, around 1.5-2cm in diamete. Use a bench scraper or blunt knife to cut into 2-3cm long pieces
6. Bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil, cook the gnocchi until they float to the surface, then lift out from the water
7. Place a wide pan over a high heat with a little oil. Add the gnocchi and remaining courgettes. Stir gently from time to time until the gnocchi are golden, then add the butter, remaining beans and a little thyme. Stir until the beans are warmed through and season to taste
8. Spoon the courgette bean puree onto a serving plate and top with the gnocchi courgette mixture, plus parmesan if you like

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