Mzansi make it to Italy in this fusion of flavour. When roaming Rome, why not add a taste of home, says Liezl Vermeulen.   

Potato gnocchi with Cape Malay cream sauce

Serves 6 

Call it pasta, call it potato pillows, call it what you want – you’ll be making this on repeat this winter! We’ve matched the decadence of Italian cream sauces with a creamy (more vibrant) curry sauce. 

Ingredients 

For the gnocchi  

1kg potatoes, washed 
Coarse salt, for sprinkling 
2 egg yolks 
1 cup cake flour 
1 tsp fine salt 
Grating of nutmeg  

Glug of oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
3cm ginger, grated 
3 springs fresh or dry curry leaves 
1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed 
1 tsp mustard seeds 
2 Tbsp mild curry powder 
2 tsp turmeric 
1 Tbsp roasted garam marsala 
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock 
2 cups cream 
Salt and milled pepper 
Butter, for frying 
Crispy fried garlic, for serving (optional)  

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
2. Pierce potatoes on a few places and place on baking tray covered with coarse salt. 
3. Bake for 90 minutes, or until very tender when pierced with a fork. 
4. Remove and cool slightly, then scoop out potato flesh. 
5. Mash potatoes until very fine (or use a potato ricer tool). 
6. Spread the potato mash out on a lightly floured work surface or chopping board. 
7. Drizzle with egg yolk, then dust flour and salt on top. 
8. Using your hands, mix in flour and egg to create a dough. (Doing it this way by hand will prevent over-mixing.) 
9. Bring dough together into one ball and divide in 4. 
10. Roll each ball into a thin, long log of about 40x2cm each. 
11. Cut each log into 3cm pieces. Place on a tray in a single layer, cover and refrigerate until ready to cook. 
12. Heat oil and fry garlic, ginger, curry leaves, cumin and mustard seeds over a medium heat until golden, about 3 minutes. 
13. Add remaining spices, fry for a minute and then add stock and cream. Season. 
14. Lower heat and simmer gently for about 20-25 minutes until sauce is reduced and thickened. 
15. Cook gnocchi in batches in a pot of salted, boiling water (as you would do with pasta), for about 1-2 minutes or until it floats to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. 
16. Add a glug of olive oil and knob of butter to a pan and fry gnocchi in batches until crispy and golden. 
17. Serve the gnocchi and any butter left in the pan on a bed of curry sauce, topped with crispy fried garlic (if using).

Cook’s note:
If you’re pressed for time, look out for ready-made gnocchi in the pasta aisle.

Recipes and styling: Liezl Vermeulen
Photographs: Zhann Solomons