Noqui “la Boca” Recipe

Bake or boil potatoes

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) if baking. Rinse potatoes and pierce skin a few times. Bake whole on a tray for 45–60 minutes until very tender, or boil whole in salted water for 25–30 minutes until fork-tender. Drain and let steam dry for 5 minutes.

Rice potatoes

While still warm, peel the potatoes and press through a ricer or mash very finely. Spread the riced potato on a work surface to cool and release steam for about 5 minutes.

Make dough

Form a mound of the cooled riced potato, sprinkle with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the egg yolk. Using your hands, gradually incorporate 1 1/4 cups of flour into the potato, working gently until a soft, slightly tacky dough forms. Add more flour a tablespoon at a time up to the remaining 1/4 cup if dough is too sticky. Do not overwork — stop when cohesive and light.

Shape noqui

Cut dough into 6 pieces. On a lightly floured surface (use semolina if desired), roll each piece into a 3/4-inch diameter rope. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces and, if desired, roll each piece over the tines of a fork or a gnocchi board to create ridges. Dust with semolina or flour to keep from sticking and place in a single layer on a lightly floured tray.

Cook noqui

Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Working in batches, drop noqui into the water. They are cooked when they float, about 1–2 minutes after rising. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a tray; reserve 1 cup of the gnocchi-cooking water for the sauce.

Render pancetta

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the diced pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders and the pancetta is crisp at the edges, about 6–8 minutes. If pancetta is very lean, add 1 tablespoon olive oil at the start. Remove and reserve most of the crisped pancetta on a paper towel-lined plate, leaving about 1–2 tablespoons of fat in the pan.

Sweat shallot and garlic

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the minced shallot to the pancetta fat and cook until translucent, 2–3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant; do not brown.

Add peas and cream

Pour in the heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir in the thawed peas and simmer 2 minutes until heated through. Stir in grated Parmesan until melted and the sauce begins to thicken slightly.

Adjust seasoning

Add lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce is too thick, thin with 1–3 tablespoons of the reserved gnocchi cooking water. Keep sauce on low heat — do not boil vigorously.

Toss noqui in sauce

Add the drained noqui to the pan with the cream sauce and gently toss or stir to coat. Add the reserved crisped pancetta and butter, stirring until butter melts and sauce becomes glossy. If needed, add more reserved cooking water, one tablespoon at a time, to achieve a silky consistency.

Plate and garnish

Divide the noqui among 4 warm plates (serves 4). Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan, chopped parsley, a drizzle of olive oil, a grind of black pepper and microgreens or extra parsley if using. Serve immediately.

Make-ahead and notes

Gnocchi dough can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before shaping. Cooked gnocchi can be briefly tossed in the sauce off heat and reheated gently in the pan; avoid prolonged simmering or they will fall apart. Use reserved starchy water to adjust consistency — it helps the sauce cling to the gnocchi.