Gnocchi Pockets with Courgette and Feta filling

Dinner for two? These gnocchi pockets are simple, fast and utterly delicious! The perfect starter that will impress while still have the diner hungering for more.

The filling:
Now you could fill these guys with what ever you fancy most: cheese, mushroom, spinach, kale and even egg yoke.  What ever you like make sure its a delicate neutral combination as this dish is all about flavors coming together in your mouth.

I use courgette and danish feta, seasoned with gremolata - parsley, olive oil, lemon zest and juice and a bit of garlic. Grate 3 - 4 medium sized courgettes into a bowl, break up the feta (about one table spoon for each courgette) and dress with the gremolata - nothing to it

The Pockets:
If your a puritan you could make the proper gnocchi dough - see our March blog post "Cumin Pear Gnocchi with Ver Belegen Sauce", and use that to make the pockets, but here is a fast food version especially helpful if your low on time.

Rinse 3 medium sized brown potatoes, pop them in a plastic bag, sprinkle with some salt and nuke them for 12 min on high in the microwave.  Skin the potatoes and mash them in a mixing bowl.  Add 1 egg and 2 or 3 handfuls of cake flour.  Add a dash of nutmeg and ground pepper.  Use your hands to mix and keep adding flour till u have a ball of workable dough. 
While using flour break off balls of dough and flatten them into rounds in the palm of your hands.  About 10 cm in diameter.  

You can role out the dough in perfect little rounds, or you can take a short-cut: place a teaspoon or so of the filling in the center of the round and fold the edges together.  Simply press between your thumb and fore-finger sealing the pocket.  Lay to rest on a well floured surface.








The Cooking:
Get your biggest pot with water to a rapid boil. Add salt. Carefully dump the pockets in one at a time. Use a slotted spoon or basket to make sure they don't get stuck to one another.  They are cooked as soon as the pockets starts drifting to the surface. 

The Plating:

Strain and transfer to your plate. I like mine with sage butter: it is as simple as melting butter with fresh sage leaves and holding it at a low temp for a few minutes. You might want to bruise the sage leaves before adding them. Good olive oil is just as yummy though. Finish with the best parmasan cheese you can find, season and enjoy immediately!

Tip: use a splash of that gremolata you made as an added burst of color and flavor.