Cottage Cheese Gnocchi with Zucchini Pesto | Richard Blais

For the pesto, in a food processor, combine the garlic, pine nuts, zucchini, jalapeño, parmesan, basil, parsley, lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Pulse until almost smooth.

For the gnocchi, place cottage cheese in a colander or cheese cloth and press to extract some of the liquid. In a food processor, combine the cottage cheese and the remaining ingredients and pulse gently until a dough ball is formed.

Dust a work surface with some flour. Working with about ¼ of the dough at a time, roll out the dough to form a ½- to ¾-inch-thick rope, sprinkling with more flour if too sticky to roll. Cut the rope into 1-inch pieces and transfer to a flour-dusted baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.

To cook the gnocchi, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add some salt and drop in the gnocchi. Cook until they float to the top, 3 to 5 minutes.

While the gnocchi are cooking, heat the pesto in a large skillet over medium heat.

Once the gnocchi float, using a spider or a small strainer, remove gnocchi from the water, transfer to the zucchini pesto, and toss to combine.