Gnocchi means “small dumplings.” It is a popular dish in a traditional Italian kitchen. It is a simple dish: potatoes mixed with flour. This calls for sweet potatoes for a rich flavor but you are welcome to use any type of potato. Sauté mushrooms with white wine to make the culinary experience even more lavish.
This recipe includes instructions for optional additions including sauteed mushrooms, a pesto sauce and a tomato sauce.
Serves 2
60 min prep/cooking time
FOR MUSHROOMS
8 oz mushrooms, chopped in thin slices, medium size
½ cup any white wine
1 tsp thyme or oregano
1 Tbs vegan butter
Slice mushrooms. On high heat, warm up a frying pan. Lower to medium heat and swirl in olive oil. Add the mushrooms to the pan and let them become a little brown. Add pepper and salt, plus thyme or oregano. Next drizzle the pan with white wine and sauté, allowing the wine to reduce. Place your pan to the side to add to gnocchi later.
FOR PESTO SAUCE
1 bunch or 4 oz fresh basil (you can add ½ bunch of cilantro)
2 garlic cloves, peeled
½ cup pine nuts (optional)
½ cup vegan parmesan cheese
¾ cup olive oil
½ lemon, juiced
In a blender combine all ingredients together and blend until smooth, adding salt to taste. Add oil, if too dry. The consistency should be smooth and liquidly.
FOR TOMATOE SAUCE
1 red pepper diced
½ yellow onion diced
5 fresh tomatoes dices
Salt, sweet paprika, olive oil
Cook all veggies down together until soft and blend in a blender before serving.
FOR GNOCCHI
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 big or 2 small, sweet potatoes, cooked
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp umami mushroom seasoning blend
Salt and pepper to taste and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Peel potatoes and cut to a small size for faster cooking. Boil for about 20 minutes, until soft. You can tell the potatoes are ready by piercing them with the fork. If there is no resistance that means they are done.
On a cutting board, place flour, making a hole in the middle like a well.
Use a grater to grate potatoes inside your well when they are still warm. The grating makes them softer. If they are too hot, use a towel to hold when grating.
Make another hole in the middle of your grated potatoes. Add 1 tbs olive oil, salt, and umami.
Cover the potatoes with your flour and knead the flour, potato and oil mixture together until a homogenous, smooth ball of dough is formed. For proper kneading, use the heel of your hand and not your fingers. Add more flour if necessary. Leave the dough for 5 minutes to rest.
Using a pastry cutter or knife, cut the dough into 1-inch pieces.
Roll each piece into ¾-inch cylinders. This is a perfect gnocchi size. Store the pieces on a sheet pan that is dusted lightly with flour.
Boil water in a pot and put part of your gnocchi in the boiling water. Don not put it in all at once. Wait 3-5 minutes until you see the gnocchi pieces floating. When they float to the top of the water it means that they are ready to be removed from the pot. Repeat the process until all your gnocchi are cooked.
If using mushroom recipe above, place them into your mushroom frying pan. Add vegan butter to the gnocchi, mushroom pan and fry the ingredients for 3 minutes until the butter is melted. Mix gently from time to time.
Add Love and your energy!
Serve in a dip plate with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and basil pesto for taste and garnish.
Bone appetite!