Gnocchi alla Romana with Pesto Genovese

Chef Curtis Gamble invited TABLE Magazine to spend a day in his kitchen with simple recipes and springtime flavors.

We started our day together with a plate of thinly sliced cucumbers shown here, finished with kefir dressing, with shallots, crumbled feta, fresh dill, a sprinkle of Aleppo chile. Chef Gamble had our full attention with this first delicate and delicious plate. “I look for ways to be reductive,” Curtis says, explaning his keep it simple ethos. “Limiting myself to a certain ingredient or idea leads to creativity with texture, salt, fat, and acid. Allowing space and room for flavor to breath is a skill.”

We moved on to Roasted Eggplant with Anchovy Almond Crumble. As always when good food hits the table, stories were shared. “I grew up with a single mom, very food insecure, and that has had the most impact on the way I like to cook,” Curtis recounts. “Whether my mom was breading off-cuts like chicken livers in seasoned flour and frying them or pulling potatoes and spring onions from our modest garden, we would always eat humbly but well-seasoned. My first real job was as a prep cook at a big-box rib joint, and from there I never turned back. One foot in front of the other took me from culinary school to Grit and Grace, to Station.”

The Gnocchi alla Romana with Pesto Genovese (shown here) arrive, along with English peas with soffrito, yogurt and lemon, and a gorgeous asparagus platter. We exclaim that we will never forget these gnocchi, with their earthy crispiness playing off of the vivid, garlicky sauce. Or any of Chef Gamble’s veggie-forward dishes.

Curtis responds, “As brutal as this pandemic is, the thing that it has really made me appreciate is the connections and the memories we facilitate for people.”

Gnocchi alla Romana with Pesto Genovese

1 qt whole milk

7 g salt

Pinch of pepper

7 oz semolina flour

2 whole eggs

2 oz Parmesan grana, shredded

Bring milk, salt, and pepper to a high simmer, almost to a boil. Using a hand-held sifter, sift in semolina and whisk while doing so. This prevents clumping and promotes even cooking of the semolina. Once all is incorporated, continue to cook briefly until starch is cooked through (it will begin to pull away from the pot and won't be starchy in the mouth). Turn off heat, beat in 1 egg at a time, fold in cheese at the end. Pour into an 8 x 8 baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray and press into an even layer. Cool in the refrigerator. When cool, cut it into inch by inch squares.

Pesto Genovese

50 g garlic

100 g basil

110 g Parmasen

150 g EVOO

20 g sunflower seeds

Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine.

To finish:

Warm a pot of oil to 350 degrees and fry gnocchi until they are golden brown, and then lift with a slotted strainer onto some paper towels to dry, adding salt and pepper.In a bowl, add 2 tablespoons pesto and toss gnocchi, salt, extra parm, and a touch of EVOO. Serve immediately.

STORY AND STYLING BY KEITH RECKER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE BRYCE / FOOD AND RECIPE BY CHEF CURTIS GAMBLE, STATION