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1. Break the mud crab shell and remove the meat. You could put all the trimmings and shell into boiling water and reduce it down, maybe adding some carrot and celery, onion with skins and pot herbs such as bay leaf, sage and thyme and keep cooking it down to concentrate to a really good crab soup after straining it.
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For the gnocchi:
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1. In a large cast iron or pottery pot with a well-fitting lid, place some damp paperbark; place in your sweet potato.
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2. Fit the lid and put the pot over medium heat for 25-45 minutes or until the sweet potato is soft; try not to open the pot for at least 20 minutes as it will fill with smoke; remove the sweet potato once it's done and a knife passes easily into the largest piece.
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3. 3/4 fill a large saucepan with water, salt the water and bring to the boil.
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4. Mash the smoked sweet potato, skin and all, either by hand or in a food processor.
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5. Use a mixer with a paddle fitted and add the sweet potato, egg, the spices and 200g of the flour.
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6. Turn the mixer to a low setting operate until the mixture starts to form a ball, stop the mixer and check the wetness, if it sticks to your fingers add more flour until it doesn't.
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7. Tip the mix out onto a floured bench top.
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8. Divide the mixture into 4 equal sausage like shapes, roll it out until you get the required thickness you like, (usually about as thick as a breakfast sausage is good); cut the gnocchi into 2.5cm pieces, use a fork to add a texture to the tops and place on a floured plate until you're ready to cook them.
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9. Warm the coconut cream in a small saucepan and add the Alpine pepper once it is hot but not boiling; leave the spice to infuse.
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10. Transfer the gnocchi to the boiling water and stir once; when the gnocchi floats to the surface remove them to a large bowl; drizzle some oil over them and toss lightly to stop them sticking together.
