Melt in Your Mouth Kamut Almond Gnocchi

Introduction

For a long time, I was intimidated at the idea of making Italian dumplings, most commonly known as gnocchi.

Given that Kamut is the grain of the month, I knew it would be ideal to use for gnocchi, a relative of pasta.

While this recipe is quite simple, it took a bit of time to streamline what is often an egg and dairy rich food into a whole-food, plant-based equivalent.

Modifying recipes into whole-food, plant-based versions is a bit like a treasure hunt. 

Often, a cookbook or blog recipe will give you hints but no one source has all the clues.

A helpful starting point for this recipe was the excellent Italian American cookbook Vegan Pasta Night, which has several vegan gnocchi recipes but they use all purpose flour and not whole grain flour.

I tested out a sweet potato gnocchi substituting with whole grain Kamut flour – good but dense.

Then I made the tofu ricotta gnocchi substituting with whole grain Kamut flour – less dense but not as flavorful.

Finally, I tried using home-made almond ricotta and whole grain Kamut – it was a bit more labor intensive but oh so worth it.

At first, I used an egg substitute, flaxmeal, as a binder.

However, given the wonderful elasticity of Kamut, I realized it really wasn’t needed.

What I finally came up with was a delectable recipe, based on just 3 ingredients, that happens to be highly nourishing.

Warning:  this recipe is very addictive and you may want to make a double or even triple batch, especially since it freezes well.

A General Gnocchi Formula

As I found out from researching gnocchi recipes, there are an almost infinite number of variations for making gnocchi.

This recipe relies on a simple gnocchi formula:

1 part dry ingredient + 1 part liquid + 1 part flour by weight

The dry ingredient must be able to combine with the liquid to form a creamy cohesive unit such as almond ricotta.

A variant of this formula is:

1 part moist creamy ingredient + 1 part flour by weight

The moist creamy ingredient can be cooked riced potatoes or blended butternut squash.

Again, the requirement is that it be a cohesive unit prior to adding the flour.

The flour needs to be one with enough elasticity (typically from gluten) to hold the two components together.

Ingredient Substitutions

The recipe provided makes the best almond ricotta and the most tender gnocchi.

While not very labor intensive, it does include a lot of rest time.

The full recipe, from start to finish, can take as long as seven days if you first are making your Rejuvelac from scratch.

With some substitutions, the process can be reduced to a couple of hours, with maybe thirty minutes of hands on time.

Discussed below are substitution options with pros and cons.

Rejuvelac

For this recipe, we are using a creamy home-made almond ricotta blended with Rejuvelac.

Because you can make your Rejuvelac using Kamut berries, you just need 3 pantry ingredients (almonds, Kamut berries, and salt) to create these gourmet gnocchi.

Rejuvelac adds a cheesy flavor to the ricotta as well as healthy enzymes.

Depending on ambient temperature, sprouting the grains can take a few days.

Also, it can take a few more days of soaking the grains if you want a very strongly flavored Rejuvelac.

For more flexibility in preparation time, you can also use previously frozen Rejuvelac.

As an alternative to Rejuvelac, you can use water with one tablespoon (15 grams) of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar added to make a total of 235 grams of liquid (about one cup.)

In a pinch, you could even use just plain water but you will be missing the tang typical of ricotta.

Almonds

This recipe calls for soaking raw almonds overnight with their skins on.

The soaking process initiates sprouting which is said to make the almonds most digestible.

If you want to skip having to remove the skins, you can start with blanched almonds and soak them instead.

For quicker results, I tested combining almond flour directly with Kamut flour and hydrating with the same quantity of Rejuvelac called for in the recipe.

The almond flour gnocchi were acceptable but not as creamy as the ones made with sprouted almond ricotta.

Nut Free Ricotta Substitute

Firm tofu can be blended and used as a nut free ricotta alternative.

It won’t be quite as creamy or rich in flavor as the simple almond ricotta.

Tofu ricotta will benefit from adding a tablespoon each of nutritional yeast and lemon juice.

Flour Substitutions

Whole Kamut(Khorasan) flour is ideal for this recipe thanks to its rich flavor and its stretchability.

Sprouted Kamut flour can be used as well – store bought or home made.

Other good grain choices are durum, emmer, spelt, hard red or white wheat. (To find online sources of these grains and flours please see this in depth post.)

Whole durum flour can be substituted as Kamut and durum wheat have similar characteristics.

Emmer wheat has a softer bran and is more water soluble than Kamut but has similar stretchable properties.

When using whole emmer wheat flour, it will be best to reduce the final dough rest time prior to gnocchi shaping to an hour.

Keep in mind emmer is usually darker colored than Kamut which may be a factor if you are trying to get kids to eat more whole grains without them realizing it.

Spelt, hard red or white wheat are also good substitutes but will lack the golden color typical of traditional gnocchi.

I have not tried this recipe with a gluten free flour but it is likely the ones that have some elasticity and binding properties would work.

Additional Flavorings

The base recipe just calls for flavoring from Rejuvelac and no spices. 

This is to allow you to incorporate the gnocchi with any sauce or soup you choose.

If you like, feel free to add a tablespoon of dried herbs (i.e. Italian seasoning), dehydrated garlic and/or onions.

Overnight Dough Rest

Once the gnocchi dough is made, letting it rest overnight will help soften the bran.

In general, most whole grain flours benefit from a long hydration time (with the exception of emmer as noted above).

But I would recommend shaping the gnocchi within 8 to 24 hours of mixing the dough.

A longer rest time is likely to weaken gluten in the dough too much and could cause the gnocchi to fall apart too quickly when cooked.

On the other hand, if using any sprouted flour, you will not need to have an overnight final dough rest prior to shaping as the sprouting process softens the bran and also starts breaking down the gluten in the flour.

When using sprouted flours or emmer flour, it is best to shape the dumplings within about an hour of mixing the dough.

Freezing

Once the dumplings are shaped, they can be frozen for at least three months.

Thanks to their small shape, the frozen dumplings can be dropped directly into boiling water without thawing.

Equipment

This recipe is geared to helping you make your food from scratch for optimal nutrition and flavor.

That is why you will see a high speed blender and a mill recommended in the equipment list.

Obviously, you can purchase pre-milled flour and this post contains an extensive list of online whole grain and flour vendors.

Below is a discussion of the two main tools used.

High Speed Blender

To make the almond ricotta, I use the twister jar for the Blentec high speed blender.

I just find the twister jar very convenient because you don’t need to tamp down the sides as you might with some other high speed blenders when using very little liquid.

It also makes excellent nut butters.

If you already have one, you can get similar results with a food processor.

Grain Mill

I mill my flour for maximum freshness.

The recipe shows the setting I use for my Nutrimill Classic.

Because Kamut is a hard grain, when using a home stone mill, it is best to mill it in two passes as detailed here. 

If you don’t yet have a grain mill, this guide can help you select one that is right for your needs.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoy making this gnocchi recipe or any variant your imagination comes up with.

All information in this post is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute nutritional, medical or health advice.

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