HERB GNOCCHI WITH TOMATO SALSA

Herb gnocchi with tomato salsa ......
I pre prepared the potato gnocchi this afternoon.
Pre heat your oven to 180 deg C.
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil .
Scrub 1 kg unpeeled potatoes and pat them dry with paper towelling .
Place them on a baking tray and oven bake the potatoes for 1 and 1/2 hours, until soft in the middle when pierced with a skewer .
Set aside to cool , then peel off the skins .
Mash the potatoes in a bowl , leave to cool completely .
Once cooled mix in 160gm of plain flour, 1 tbs of finely chopped parsley and 1 tbs of finely chopped basil.
Now gradually mix in 1 beaten egg ( a little at a time ) until you have a firm , smooth dough  ( you may not need the whole egg )
Divide the dough into 8 balls , then roll out each ball into a sausage shape on a lightly floured board .
Using the back of a table knife , cut the rolls slightly on the diagonal into 4cm lengths .
Now it`s time to cook the gnocchi , this must be done batches .
Firstly fill a bowl with cold water and place near your stove top .
Place a quarter of the gnocchi in the boiling water and leave them cook till they rise to the top of the surface .
Lift out with a slotted spoon and place in the cold water .
leave for a minute or so to gnocchi are cooled , then place on paper towelling to drain.
Repeat the process to cook the remaining gnocchi .
It is important to keep the water boiling in the pot
When all the gnocchi are cooked and cooled , place them in a bowl with a drizzle of  oil to keep them separate .
Cover and keep them refrigerated until they are required .
When you are ready to serve the gnocchi, heat to serve 2 tbs of oil and 50gm of marg / butter in a pan over a medium heat .
Saute the gnocchi in batches until crisp and golden on both sides .
Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in the oven uncovered till the rest of the gnocchi are sautéed .
Serve with the tomato salsa .
TOMATO SALSA
Slice 1 packet of cherry tomatoes into quarters
1 small red onion finely chopped , add these to the sliced tomatoes.
Add 1 tbs of chopped parsley
1 tbs of chopped basil .
2 spring onions finely sliced
2 tbs of lime juice .
1 tbs of sesame oil
A healthy dash of tabasco
Salt and cracked pepper to taste .
Toss to mix .
Serve cold as a side with the gnocchi or warm gently in the same pan you used to saute the gnocchi and spoon over the top of the gnocchi to serve .....either way this is a delicious starer or main meal .