Violet aubergines (eggplants) are particularly sweet and juicy, says Mary Contini in her cookbook Valvona and Crolla: A Year at an Italian Table (Ebury £25.00). These tasty aubergines need no soaking or salting prior to cooking, and also roast really well. Mary Contini first discovered violet aubergines on a visit to the Milan markets, and she now imports them to sell at Valvona and Crolla, her family’s renowned Italian deli in Edinburgh. In this recipe from her cookbook (which appears here with permission) Mary Contini uses the aubergines (eggplants) to make delicious gnocchi, which she teams with a traditional butter and sage sauce. The gnocchi can’t be frozen, so need to be cooked the day you make them. Don’t refrigerate them, as they might go soggy.
Roasted Aubergine (Eggplant) Gnocchi with Butter and Sage Sauce – Recipe
Ingredients
To make the gnocchi:
- 2-3 violet aubergines (eggplants)
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 300g floury potatoes (about 350g unpeeled weight), such as Desiree, Maris Piper or King Edwards
- Freshly ground nutmeg
- 200g ‘00’ flour, sifted
- 25g self-raising flour, sifted
- 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To make the Butter and Sage Sauce:
- 200g unsalted butter
- 6-8 fresh sage leaves
- Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 230°C/450°F/Gas mark 8.
- Slice the aubergines and cut into cubes. Place in a roasting tray and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the thyme, add a few tablespoons of oil and mix well.
- Roast in the oven until softened inside and browned and slightly crispy on the outside. Allow to cool.
- Boil the potatoes in unsalted water until easily pierced with a skewer. Drain and set aside to cool.
- As soon as you can hold them, peel off the skin and weigh out 300g. Pass through a potato ricer or mouli, or mash them well. Don’t put them into a blender or food processor as this will make them ‘gluey’. Work quickly while they are still warm.
- Add 150g of the cooled, cubed aubergine (eggplant) to the potato and mash together. Check the seasoning and add some ground nutmeg to taste. Again working quickly, add the sifted flours and parsley and mix together lightly to form a dough.
- Take a small nugget of dough, roll it over the back of a fork, then test it in a saucepan of boiling salted water. If the mixture is too wet, the dough will disintegrate in the water. In this case, simply add some more flour. If it rises, cook it for 1 or 2 minutes, then taste and adjust the seasoning or texture of the mixture as required.
- Once you are happy with the consistency, work quickly, rolling pieces of the dough into narrow sausage shapes. Cut into pieces 3-4 cm long, then roll them over the back of an upturned fork to create slight ridges (these will act to hold the sugo once the gnocchi is cooked). Arrange in a single layer on a sheet of greaseproof paper and leave covered until you want to cook them. Do not refrigerate.
- To make the sauce, put the butter and sage in a saucepan, place over a low heat and allow the leaves to release their flavour as the butter melts. Keep warm, but be careful not to burn the butter.
- Gently warm the reserved aubergine cubes.
- Cook the gnocchi in boiling salted water until they float to the top. Cook for a minute or two, then drain with a slotted spoon as they are delicate.
- Pour the butter and sage sugo over the drained gnocchi. Top with the warmed aubergine cubes and served with plenty of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
In Valvona and Crolla: A Year at an Italian Table, Mary Contini also suggests a couple of alternative sauces to go with the roasted aubergine (eggplant) gnocchi: butter tomato sugo and a gorgonzola sauce.
To make the Butter Tomato Sugo: Place 2 x 425g cans sieved or liquidised tomatoes, 250g unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 small shallot in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer slowly for about 30 minutes, just until the butter splits from the sugo.
Discard the shallot, add another knob of butter and season with sea salt. Stir in a good handful of torn basil leaves and serve with the aubergine gnocchi and plenty of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
For the Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Sauce: Place about 60g Gorgonzola per person in a small saucepan, add a little cream and warm until combined. Sieve to remove any blue veins, as these can be gritty. Reheat, add some torn basil leaves and pour over the gnocchi. Serve with freshly ground black pepper and plenty of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Rebecca Ford - I'm a UK based freelance travel writer and photographer - and the country I most like to visit is Italy. That's not just because of the ...
