This week's challenge on Plant Power Community is "Soup for the soul". Soup is my favorite food group and I can add as many vegetables as I want to a soup and make it a very nutritious and delicious dish.
So my soup for the soul today is Homemade Gnocchi in Tomato Soup. I decided to use gnocchi as the highlight and the main carbohydrate to create a tomato gnocchi soup and change the starter soup to the main course meal.
The fluffy gnocchi is floating in a creamy coconut cream tomato base soup with fresh water spinach and top with the basil over the delicious soup. This tomato soup on its own was super tasty and tasted more fabulous with my homemade gnocchi.
The first step to making this delicious gnocchi in tomato soup is to sauté the garlic, shallots, onion, carrot, and celery as the delicious base broth. Then mix in a tomato can, various spices, water, and coconut cream. Once all the liquid has been added and lets the soup comes to a boil. Then add water spinach and simmer the soup for about 10 minutes. Then top with basil and sprinkle with ground cashew nuts.
My homemade gnocchi is cook follow the authentic recipe for Italian potato gnocchi. They are easy to make at home and need just a few ingredients plus one fork. The best way to cook the gnocchi is using the old potatoes because they contain more starch and less moisture.
I always cook large portions of gnocchi and freeze them in the freezer for future meals. Then I can boil them and just simply stir-fried or add in any creamy sauce or delicious warm soup. Nothing can beat fresh homemade gnocchi. They are high in protein, potassium, a good source of fiber, and multivitamins. Unlike most store-bought that they always contain any necessary ingredients, like preservatives or food coloring.
As I always save one potato from every batch I bought for making the gnocchi. I used a different batch of potatoes that are not similar in size so they'll require different cooking times. For my gnocchi recipe, I also mix 1 Japanese purple potato along with 2 Russel potatoes and 1 Kennebec potato for color purposes and slightly sweet for tastes.
HARVEST TIME
Let me take a walk with my lovely buddies in the Garden to pick up some vegetables before start cooking. I did harvest freshly water spinach and basil. They grow really well without any chemicals.
INGREDIENTS
FOR TOMATO SOUP
- 400 Gram Can Tomato
- 1 Cup Shallots
- 1 Cup Onion
- 1/2 Cup Celery
- 1/2 Cup Carrots
- 2 Tablespoon Garlic
- 1 Cup Water Spinach
- 1 Fresh Basil
- 1 Tablespoon Cashew Nut
- 1 Tablespoon Himalayan Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Brown Cane Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Chili Flake
- 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Rosemary
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Sage
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Tarragon
- 100 Gram Coconut Cream
FOR GNOCCHI
- 600 Gram Old Potato
- 180 Gram All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Pepper
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING TOMATO SOUP
STEP 1 - SAUTE FOR THE SOUP BASE
Heat the olive oil in the saucepan and add garlic to a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the smallest pieces of garlic start to turn golden yellow. Then add the onions and shallots to the saucepan. Sauté them and keep stirring for about 2 minutes.
Once garlic and onion release their aroma, then add the carrots and celery. Stir them all together and let all the ingredients sit without stirring for about 5 minutes.
STEP 2 - Seasoning the Soup Base
Add the tomato can into the saucepan.
Add Himalayan Salt, Brown Cane Sugar, Chili Flake, Black Pepper, Dried Basil, Dried Rosemary, Dried Oregano, Dried Sage, and Dried Tarragon into the saucepan.
Mix them all and keep stirring occasionally. Then let all the tomato soup base continuously simmer for about 5 minutes over low heat.
STEP 3 - Add the Liquid
Pour the water into the saucepan for about 2-3 cups. Stir in the tomato soup and turn the heat to high and bring to a boil and keep stirring.
Carefully blend using an immersion blender until roughly smooth. I always prefer to just blend them with the tiny chunky left.
STEP 4 - Add the Cream and Water Spinach to Soup
Move all tomato soup into a pot and add the coconut cream into the soup which you can substitute with almond milk or just skip the cream. Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the water spinach into the pot. Close the lid and simmer until the tomato soup blend together for about 10 minutes, stir occasionally to avoid the soup from burning.
STEP 5 - Turn off the Heat
Once the Tomato soup is ready and set them aside while preparing the gnocchi.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING GNOCCHI
STEP 1 - BOIL THE POTATO
Add the potatoes with the skin on into a pot. Bring to boil and cook until the potatoes are soft for about 20 minutes and keep a check by the sharp small knife into one potato. If it easily slides in and out. Once cooked tender, drain the potatoes and peel them with a small knife.
STEP 2 - MASH THE POTATO
Just cut the boiled potato into a chunk then throw peel potato into a tall narrow tube and move the immersion blender up and down until have a smooth mashed potato. Then move the mashed potato into a bowl.
STEP 3 - KNEAD THE GNOCCHI DOUGH
Add half of the flour and the salt, and mix the mashed potato and flour until the potatoes absorb all the flour and you get a slightly compact that possible to start to knead the dough.
Move the gnocchi dough over the clean surface and add another half of the flour and knead the dough together.
STEP 4 - SEASONING WITH SALT AND PEEPER
Then add the salt, pepper, and olive oil over the dough. Then knead the dough gently until the dough turns soft and not sticky.
STEP 4 - SHAPE THE DOUGH
Spread a tablespoon of flour into the clean floured surface and also sprinkle a bit of flour over the dough. Shape the dough into a big ball shape and roll them into the big long shape and divide the dough into 6 equal square sizes with a sharp knife.
STEP 5 - SHAPE THE GNOCCHI
Roll each dough piece into long ropes about 2 cm thick, then cut the ropes into 1.5 cm bites with a sharp knife.
Place the gnocchi bite over a fork.
Gentle pressure with the thumb.
Press it down while rolling the gnocchi down.
Creating a small mark that will make the gnocchi look very cute.
The mark on the gnocchi will also absorb and grab more sauce. Making gnocchi is such a challenge but once I can make it then it's not hard at all.
STEP 5 - STORE THE GNOCCHI FOR THE FUTURE MEAL
I can make an overload amount of gnocchi and lay them on the big plate and freeze them in the freezer for about 2 hours until the soft gnocchi turns into the solid gnocchi. Then transfer them into the glass airtight container and store them in the freezer for up to a month.
STEP 5 - BOILED THE GNOCCHI
Boil water in a large pan over high heat until it comes to a boil and put in the amount of gnocchi individually piece by once at a time. When the gnocchi is cooked then they will be floating up to the surface. Then gently move them out.
STEP 5 - SEAR AND SEANING THE GNOCCHI
Heat the pan over medium heat and add the oil. After adding the oil then drop the gnocchi, and sear the gnocchi for about 2 minutes on each side.
Then sprinkle the salt and pepper for the taste.
Crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside, this pan-seared gnocchi in olive oil will lift more taste.
FINAL STEP - PLATTER
First, pour the tomato soup into the bowl then drop the amount of gnocchi on one side of the bowl into the tomato soup. Then top with basil leave and ground cashew nut and a touch of coconut cream drizzling.
Making homemade gnocchi is the perfect Saturday activity for the family. And also planning to make extra to freeze for the next gnocchi menu is always a great idea.
Tomato Soup is my family favorite. The delicious savory creamy of this soup soaked perfectly with the soft pillow gnocchi. I do this soup to heal my family from hard work and stress on weekdays with this comforting soup. We all love them so much.
This Gnocchi Tomato Soup is easy, creamy, and delicious. If you are looking for a hearty soup and nutritious meal, give this tomato gnocchi soup recipe a try.
Thanks for reading my food diary and hope you guys have a great weekday!
