Sneaky-Mama Carrot Gnocchi

This one's a keeper: basically two ingredients, and it turns a whole kilo of carrots into something the whole family happily devours. The kids made it with me, too — rolling and cutting the little dough "worms" is the perfect job for small hands (gloriously messy, but they loved every minute). A proper sneaky-mama win: a kilo of veg, eaten with gusto.

These are the real quantities from my kitchen. Carrots and flour are forgiving, so treat the flour as "add until it feels right" rather than an exact science.

Ingredients

• 1 kg carrots, peeled and chopped
• 600g plain flour, plus a little extra as needed
• A good pinch of salt

For a simple sauce

• A generous knob of butter
• 1–2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped

Method

1. Boil the carrots until soft, then drain well.
2. Mash them smooth. Blitz the carrots in a food processor (I use a Thermomix, but any processor does the job) until you have a smooth purée.
3. Make the dough. Add the flour and salt and mix to a dough. Add a little more flour, bit by bit, until it's soft but no longer sticky.
4. Shape and cut. On a floured surface, roll pieces of dough into long "worms", then cut into bite-sized pieces with a knife. Don't fuss over uniformity — all shapes and sizes are welcome. (This is the perfect job to hand to little helpers.)
5. Boil the water. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. If the gnocchi look a little sticky sitting on the plate, don't panic — they come right in the water.
6. Cook briefly. Drop the gnocchi in and boil for just a couple of minutes, no more, then strain.
7. Sauce and serve. Melt the butter in a pan with the garlic and shallot, toss the gnocchi through, and serve straight away.

Make it your own

A creamy mushroom sauce works beautifully here too, if you'd like something a little richer.

A few notes

• Sneaky-mama win: the kids helped make it, and between them happily polished off a whole kilo of carrots.
• Wonderful hands-on cooking with children — though with a baby and toddler in the mix, I ended up doing most of the shaping with my eldest.
• Don't overboil — a couple of minutes is plenty.
• It makes a big batch, and the uncooked gnocchi freeze well for a quick dinner another night.

Flour, salt, and the carrots on our produce stand — much of this comes straight from our shelves. → Shop the pantry essentials — organic, plastic-free, packed by hand in Akaroa.