One of my favorite parts of Parents & Family Weekend this year was a brand-new event: a live cooking demo with WashU’s own Executive and Dining Resource Chef Aaron Cummings. Let me tell you—tickets for this event went fast, but luckily, there was still room for the chancellor and me to participate, and most importantly, taste what was cooking.

If you haven’t seen Chef Aaron in action, you’re missing out. He doesn’t just cook—he teaches, entertains, and shares so many insider tips that it feels like a behind-the-scenes pass to a professional kitchen.

The dish of the day was Chef Aaron’s End of Summer Gnocchi. But before he got cooking, Aaron gave us a short history lesson. Gnocchi, as we know it today, goes back to 16th Century Europe, when Northern Italians swapped semolina flour for potatoes, after being introduced from the Americas. And here’s the golden rule—three russet potatoes equal about a pound of gnocchi.

To start, Chef Aaron made the dough. He made a “pomme purée” first, ricing the potatoes and adding light-as-air Parmesan cheese, and then egg yolk, in that specific order. He was sure to work the potatoes while they were still hot, an important tip when making the dough.

From there, he was specific to not knead the dough, but to push it, which made a loaf of potato dough that was ready to bench rest. The dough should be a bit crumbly, but still a little sticky at this point. After it rests, Chef Aaron rolled it out, cut it, and showed us how to shape the dumpling with a gnocchi paddle, fork, and even his fingers.

Then, it was time to blanch boil the gnocchi in highly salted water. Once gnocchi float, they are done cooking, and Aaron then dunked them into an ice bath to stop the cooking and ensure a proper gnocchi texture. Blanched pasta will keep in the fridge for three days, but good luck not eating it all at once.

The final dish was a thing of beauty: golden-browned gnocchi sauteed in both olive oil and butter, tossed with cherry tomatoes, spinach, local Missouri corn, and sausage made from local Buttonwood Farm chicken, pulled together with a fresh corn broth. He seasoned as he went—layer after layer—before finishing with fresh basil and a snowfall of Parmesan cheese.

The chancellor and I agree—this dish was delicious, fresh and hearty, a vibrant bounty of vegetables paired with comforting dumplings, accented with local flavor.  

I’ll admit, I wasn’t ready to hand over my fork when the demonstration ended. But more than the food itself, what I loved was watching families laugh, learn, and see the “back of the house” magic Chef Aaron brings to WashU every day.

Recipes

Chef Aaron’s End of Summer Gnocchi
featuring Handmade Parmesan Gnocchi

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Handmade Parmesan Gnocchi

  • 1 lb Russet potato, baked and riced
  • 1 Egg yolk
  • 6 oz Parmesan, finely grated
  • ¼ tsp Nutmeg
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 8 oz Pasta flour

Finished Dish

  • 1 tbsp Olive oil
  • ½ cup Vegetable stock
  • 1 oz Parmesan
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • ¼ tsp Salt

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Wash russet potatoes. Prick the potatoes with a fork and bake at 350 for approximately 50 minutes to one hour or until soft.
  3. While the potatoes are still hot, cut the potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out the potato into a potato ricer. Pass the potato through the ricer into a mixing bowl.
  4. Add the egg yolk and incorporate into the potatoes using the prongs of a fork, in a crisscross pattern to keep the potatoes coarse.
  5. Sprinkle the parmesan, nutmeg and salt onto the potato mixture and gently combine with the same criss cross fork method.
  6. Sprinkle half the pasta flour onto the potato mixture. Combine with the criss cross fork method. Add remaining pasta flour as needed.
  7. Using clean hands, form the potato mixture into a smooth dough. Do not overwork.
  8. Move to a cutting board. Cover lightly with plastic and allow to rest 15 minutes.
  9. Cut the dough into four sections. Keep the remaining dough covered until ready to use. Dust the surface of the cutting board with pasta flour and roll one section into a ball. Roll out into a snake. Cut the snake into equal portions.
  10. Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil. Salt the water to your preference. Blanch the gnocchi until they float to the top. Move to hot sautee pan with olive oil, butter, and sautee until brown. Add vegetable stock. Cook for 1 minute. Add parmesan, butter, and salt, to taste.
  11. Alternatively, prepare an ice bath. Shock the gnocchi, remove from water, allow to air dry. Coat in olive oil and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–5 days.

Chef Aaron’s
End of Summer Gnocchi – Plated dish
featuring Handmade Parmesan Gnocchi

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp Olive oil
  • 2–4 tbsp Butter, divided
  • 4 cups Handmade Gnocchi
  • 2 ears Local sweet corn
  • 1 cup Cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 cups Fresh spinach
  • ~4 oz Chicken sausage
  • 2 cups Vegetable stock
  • 3–4 leaves Fresh basil
  • 2–3 oz Parmesan, freshly grated

Instructions:

  1. In a non-stick skillet, melt olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter together. Add gnocchi in a single layer. Allow to brown.
  2. Add the corn, tomatoes, spinach, and sausage if using. Cook for 1–2 minutes, add vegetable stock and cook for another 1 minute. Add the basil, additional parmesan and remaining butter to taste.
  3. Season to taste and serve warm.