I love experimenting with pasta and gnocchi. I love the fact that you can make them of many shapes, flavours and colours. I saw these amazing purple Congo potatoes at the market and I could not resist buying them. They are not imported from Congo as they name might suggest, but they are grown in Tasmania. They are dark purple inside… the colour is really intense and it actually becomes more vivid when the potatoes are cooked, which had me very pleased as my final gnocchi looked stunning! As I wanted that nice purple to be the star of the show, I decided to go for a simple sauce, neutral in colour, yet very tasty: a Parmigiano Reggiano fondue. I jazzed it up with some crunchy Italian speck and toasted hazelnuts which added a little smokey flavour and a nice crunch that contrasted very well with the soft pillowy texture of the gnocchi. It was an amazing looking and tasting dish, even if I say so myself! Let me know what you think!! Buon appetito!

Purple Gnocchi on a Parmigiano Reggiano Fondue with Toasted Hazelnuts and Crunchy Speck
The recipe for Purple Gnocchi on a Parmigiano Reggiano Fondue with Toasted Hazelnuts and Crunchy Speck.
Ingredients
- 1 dose of purple potato gnocchi
- 4 slices of Italian speck thinly sliced
- 20 hazelnuts toasted
- 200 ml – 1 scant cup cream
- 8 tbsp grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- Salt & Pepper
- Extra Parmigiano Reggiano thinly grated to serve (optional)
Instructions
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Prepare the purple potato gnocchi following my tutorial.
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Put the cream in a small saucepan and heat it up. Put the fire off before it boils and add the 8 tbsp of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, salt and pepper.
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Mix well until smooth and keep it aside. Do not worry if the sauce looks runny, it is ok as it will thicken while cooling.
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Vertically chop the slices of Italian speck and put them in a hot pan to fry (do not add any oil as the speck’s fat is enough for it to fry). Fry until crunchy, then remove it from the pan and put them on some kitchen paper to drain the excess fat.
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Put 2 tbsp of Parmigiano Reggiano fondue at the bottom of each serving plate.
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Cook the purple potato gnocchi as per the instructions that you find here.
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When the gnocchi are cooked, divide them among the plates and drizzle with the remaining fondue.
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Top each plate with a ¼ of the crunchy speck and toasted hazelnuts.
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Serve warm with a sprinkle of thinly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Absolutely stunning! I love the way the purple color did not fade… very nice! I played with pasta and beets, but the color faded so much, it was disappointing.
you picked a perfect sauce to pair with your beautiful masterpiece!
Great post!
I am still trying to get over this amazing recipe.. i just can’t close this web page to continue with life…
i LOVE it!
So creative Manuela and beautiful styling and photos! bravissimo!
These purple gnocchi are amazing! I love this dish!!
this looks amazing! i love the color.
I love homemade gnocchi and these look absolutely incredible! What a gorgeous color! :3
Your photos are always beautiful, but this is magnificent! Well thought out and truly beautiful.
Wow, this gnocchi is just gorgeous – almost too pretty to eat!
I think this looks amazing! I sure wish I had been there to try it for you too!
A restaurant-worthy dish! Impressed.
What an amazing violet color your gnocchi got! I want to find some of these potatoes so I can play with them in my kitchen too 🙂
How did I miss this? I can’t believe how beautiful it looks and knowing you, the taste would match its beauty.