Eggplant Basil Gnocchi

Ingredients

• 500 g eggplants
• 5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 starchy potato
• 1 egg yolk
• 110 g spelt whole‑grain flour
• 1 handful basil leaves

Instructions

1. 1.

   Clean, peel and cut the eggplant into large pieces. Place in a heatproof dish, drizzle with vinegar and oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and roast in a preheated oven at 220 °C (fan 200 °C; gas 3–4) for about 1 hour until very soft.

2. 2.

   Wash the potato, cover it in a small pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Let the eggplant cool slightly, place in a kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Finely chop the pulp and put it into a bowl.

3. 3.

   Drain the potato, let it steam dry, peel and mash with a potato masher or press through a sieve. Mix the mashed potato with the eggplant. Knead in the egg yolk and 100 g flour. Wash, dry, finely chop the basil and fold it in. Season the dough with salt, knead on a floured surface, flatten and shape into about 1 cm thick logs. Cut these logs into hazelnut‑sized pieces and form gnocchi. Boil portions of gnocchi in plenty of salted water over low heat for 4–5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well.