Parsnip Gnocchi with Vegetables & Italian Cheese Sauce
In all our combined years of cooking here at 2GourManiacs, we have never met anyone who simply didn’t love a good plate of gnocchi. I’m talking about the home made version of the delicate Italian potato dumplings; not those dense slugs which look like spent rifle casings, impenetrable by fork, which some stores pass for gnocchi. I’m talking about the little potato pillows that melt in your mouth and can sometimes contain other ingredients beyond potato flour, and which are rolled individually using a gnocchi board or a fork tine. (See Robert’s amazing recipe below)
An Italian cheese sauce is a great alternative to the tomato sauce typically paired with gnocchi. Having found a slab of Castelrosso cheese that needed to be used up, I proceeded to grate it and prepare a gnocchi sauce which would be creamy rich but also light (no cream, no butter), as follows:
Italian Cheese Sauce for Gnocchi:
(Ingredients and Method)
~ 1 ½ cup grated Castelrosso cheese (or other Italian crumbly/semi-hard or softer cheese like Fontina, Gorgonzola, goat cheese or a blend)
~ 1/3 cup half-and-half
~ ½ cup white wine
~ 1 medium shallot, chopped
~ ¼ cup fresh orange juice (1 small-medium orange)
~ 2 bay leaves
~ 6 whole peppercorns
~ Dash of nutmeg
In a small saucepan combine the wine, shallot, orange juice, bay leaves, nutmeg and peppercorns. Reduce over low heat for about 10 minutes. Strain using a small fine mesh sieve and return liquid to saucepan. Stir in the grated or shredded cheese(s) and the half-and-half until blended into a creamy sauce. Remove from heat but leave in pan, and reheat prior to serving. Add more half-and-half or water, if necessary, to further thin sauce. Do not salt the sauce. The cheese alone will contribute plenty of salt.
Vegetables for the Gnocchi:
(Ingredients and Method)
~ 8 oz baby spinach leaves, clean and dry
~ ½ red pepper, julienned
~ 2 Tbsp olive oil
~ 2 Tbsp Vermouth
~ 12 grinds each salt & pepper
~ Dash of nutmeg
Heat oil, drop in julienned red pepper strips and stir until slightly softened, about 1-2 minutes. Add baby spinach, salt and pepper, Vermouth and numeg, mix and cover with lid. Remove from heat after 2-3 minutes, uncover and mix well.
Salmon:
~ ¾ lb salmon, preferably skin off
~ 1 Tbsp chopped chives or other garnish
~ 3 Tbsp water
To remove skin from salmon, place fillet skin side down in a hot cast iron on non-stick skillet with a few tablespoons of sizzling water at the bottom. Flip fillet over in 45-60 seconds and pull at one corner of the skin which should now lift from the fillet effortlessly. Continue to heat the salmon on the other side for another minute or so. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let the salmon finish cooking in this manner, careful not to overdry the flesh. When ready to use, gently flake the salmon fillet and set atop the gnocchi.
Parsnip Gnocchi
8 entree servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
- ¾ lb parsnip, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon finely ground white pepper
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, + extra for dusting
Method:
Place chopped potato and parsnip in a medium sized pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until fork tender. Make sure parsnip is tender because sometimes they can be harder in the center.
Drain potatoes and parsnips and run through a ricer or mash well with a fork. Let cool enough to touch and form a mound with a well in the center inside a large bowl. Add eggs, Parmesan, salt, nutmeg, and pepper in the well. Mix together gently with your hands.
Sprinkle 1 cup of flour on top and fold it in with your hands, trying not to knead. Sprinkle the remaining cup of flour on in 4 separate additions, mixing in and avoiding kneading. The dough mixture is ready to use when it can be rolled into a long “snake” (1/2″ to 3/4″ diameter) on a floured board. If it’s too sticky, add more flour. If it’s too dry, add a little bit of beaten egg until you get the right consistency.
Using a handful of dough at a time, roll into a rope on a floured surface. Cut into 1/2″ to 3/4″ segments. Sprinkle with flour so the pieces don’t stick to the work surface. Roll each small, cut-up piece of dough up the tines of a fork, or better yet, roll onto a gnocchi board. Place finished gnocchi on a sheet pan covered with a sheet of generously floured parchment paper or waxed paper. Repeat, using up all the dough. Any uncooked gnocchi can be frozen and will keep well up to several months in the freezer.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the gnocchi for only 1-2 minutes (until they float). Drain immediately and toss with the spinach and red pepper strips. Reheat the cheese sauce, adding more liquid if a thinner sauce is desired, and spoon over the gnocchi and vegetables. Add the salmon flakes on top, and a sprinkling of your favorite chopped garnish. Serve and prepare your mouth for culinary heaven.
RSA & RMA
