Looking at homemade gnocchi—truth be told, looking at ANY homemade pasta—you might say, "No way, that's too much effort. I'll buy it at the store." But gnocchi, serendipitously, are extremely easy to make... and very difficult to find at the supermarket. Making your own gnocchi is both desirable, and easy.

7 ounces (about 1 cup) mashed or riced potatoes, fresh or instant
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Mix the potato with the egg and salt, then stir in the flour to make a soft dough. Prepare a clean work surface by sprinkling it sparingly with flour; we like to use a silicone kneading mat. Knead the dough a few times to smooth it out, then shape it into gnocchi, preferably using a gnocchi board. For complete instructions on shaping and cooking, see our recipe for The Simplest Gnocchi in the recipe section at kingarthurflour.com.

One of our favorite ways to serve gnocchi is with pesto cream sauce. Combine the 1 cup heavy cream, adding more if needed for a smooth sauce and prepared pesto (recipe below) in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until the cream is reduced by about 1/3. Toss with cooked gnocchi, and serve hot. Yield: about 4 to 6 main-dish servings, depending on appetites; or a greater number of appetizer servings.

Pesto

There's no need to purchase prepared pesto when it's so easy to make your own. When you see big bunches of fresh basil for sale at the farmer's market this summer, get out your food processor or blender and give this a try. Or, if you live in an area where fresh herbs are available year-round—try it now.

2 cups fresh basil leaves, firmly packed
1 cup (4 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 to 8 large garlic cloves (to taste), peeled
1/2 cup (2 ounces) walnuts or pine nuts
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) olive oil
a pinch of salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Store in the refrigerator for a week, or freeze for longer storage.