On days when I have time to cook, I love to make things like gnocchi. I have made gnocchi many times with all types of sauces, but today I felt like trying this rich porcini sauce. I am trying to introduce a few meat free days into our diet and this I thought would be perfect for it.
This was delicious.
The richness from the sauce comes from the porcini mushroom, you will never get the intensity of flavour from any other mushroom. I add the swiss brown mushrooms simply so you can see mushrooms and it looks great, but the flavour comes from the porcini.
These gnocchi are perfect. They are easy to make, they are soft and fluffy and taste amazing.
I got this recipe from Daniela e Stefania's cookbook, but I thought I'd watch a video of them making it also. So there are two ways you can make the actual gnocchi.
Method 1: You have Daniela's way, once you make the gnocchi dough, you then roll it out into long sausage shapes, then cut the gnocchi to the size you like. Then I press them lightly with a fork and shape into little pillows. Simple.
Method 2: Which I prefer, is Stefania's way, after she cuts the gnocchi to size, she rolls them on a fork to get more ridges into the gnocchi and I love it. Watch the video here, after a few tries it gets easy and the gnocchi looks and taste amazing.
Both methods taste amazing, you choose which one you prefer.
Making gnocchi is well worth the effort as homemade gnocchi are so much better than store bought gnocchi.
You could also serve this sauce with pasta, if you prefer.
This was something my family loved, hope yours do to.
This was delicious.
The richness from the sauce comes from the porcini mushroom, you will never get the intensity of flavour from any other mushroom. I add the swiss brown mushrooms simply so you can see mushrooms and it looks great, but the flavour comes from the porcini.
These gnocchi are perfect. They are easy to make, they are soft and fluffy and taste amazing.
I got this recipe from Daniela e Stefania's cookbook, but I thought I'd watch a video of them making it also. So there are two ways you can make the actual gnocchi.
Method 1: You have Daniela's way, once you make the gnocchi dough, you then roll it out into long sausage shapes, then cut the gnocchi to the size you like. Then I press them lightly with a fork and shape into little pillows. Simple.
Method 2: Which I prefer, is Stefania's way, after she cuts the gnocchi to size, she rolls them on a fork to get more ridges into the gnocchi and I love it. Watch the video here, after a few tries it gets easy and the gnocchi looks and taste amazing.
Both methods taste amazing, you choose which one you prefer.
Making gnocchi is well worth the effort as homemade gnocchi are so much better than store bought gnocchi.
You could also serve this sauce with pasta, if you prefer.
This was something my family loved, hope yours do to.
Recipe
Adapted from Daniela e Stefania's cookbook Saporito and Simply Italian by Michela, Emanuela and Romina Chiappa
Serves 6-8
Gnocchi:
1kg red skin potatoes
Olive oil, for rubbing
400-500g plain 00 flour
2 eggs
Sea salt, to taste
Semolina flour, for dusting
Porcini Sauce:
20g dried porcini mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled, finely chopped
8 swiss brown mushroom, sliced thinly
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4-1/3 cup thick cream
Freshly grated parmesan, to serve
Make the Gnocchi: Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan forced.
Wash potatoes and prick them with a fork. Rub olive oil all over them. Place the potatoes on a baking tray and bake for 1 hour or until the potatoes are soft and cooked through. Allow to cool until warm.
Cut the potatoes in half. Place the potato half, flesh side down into a ricer, then press the potato half through the ricer into a large bowl or straight onto your clean kitchen bench, discard skin. Continue with all the potatoes. If you don't have a ricer, buy one today, they are brilliant for mashing potatoes.
While the potato is still warm, make a well in the middle. Crack the eggs into the well, season with salt, add a little flour. Start to combine the egg and flour with the potato and gradually keep adding the flour and keep mixing until the mixture comes together. You add only enough flour where the dough is no longer sticky. Sometimes you need to add more, sometimes you don't need all of it. Lightly flour a work surface and knead the potato dough for 1 minute until you have a soft dough.
Divide the dough into smaller workable balls. Roll into long sausages (you get to determine how big or small you want your gnocchi), if the dough is still sticky add a little more flour, but if it is not, don't add it.
Cut the gnocchi roll into 1.5cm long pieces then roll each gnocchi onto the prongs of a fork or gnocchi board. By doing this you get ridges and gaps in the gnocchi that catch the sauce. Then cover lightly with a tea towel, if not using straight away.
Serves 6-8
Gnocchi:
1kg red skin potatoes
Olive oil, for rubbing
400-500g plain 00 flour
2 eggs
Sea salt, to taste
Semolina flour, for dusting
Porcini Sauce:
20g dried porcini mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled, finely chopped
8 swiss brown mushroom, sliced thinly
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4-1/3 cup thick cream
Freshly grated parmesan, to serve
Make the Gnocchi: Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan forced.
Wash potatoes and prick them with a fork. Rub olive oil all over them. Place the potatoes on a baking tray and bake for 1 hour or until the potatoes are soft and cooked through. Allow to cool until warm.
Cut the potatoes in half. Place the potato half, flesh side down into a ricer, then press the potato half through the ricer into a large bowl or straight onto your clean kitchen bench, discard skin. Continue with all the potatoes. If you don't have a ricer, buy one today, they are brilliant for mashing potatoes.
While the potato is still warm, make a well in the middle. Crack the eggs into the well, season with salt, add a little flour. Start to combine the egg and flour with the potato and gradually keep adding the flour and keep mixing until the mixture comes together. You add only enough flour where the dough is no longer sticky. Sometimes you need to add more, sometimes you don't need all of it. Lightly flour a work surface and knead the potato dough for 1 minute until you have a soft dough.
Divide the dough into smaller workable balls. Roll into long sausages (you get to determine how big or small you want your gnocchi), if the dough is still sticky add a little more flour, but if it is not, don't add it.
Cut the gnocchi roll into 1.5cm long pieces then roll each gnocchi onto the prongs of a fork or gnocchi board. By doing this you get ridges and gaps in the gnocchi that catch the sauce. Then cover lightly with a tea towel, if not using straight away.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. While you are waiting for it to come to the boil, make the sauce.
In a bowl, soak the porcini in 600ml of boiling water for 10 minutes. Reserving the soaking liquid, do not throw it out, drain the porcini and squeeze to remove as much water as possible, then finely chop.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion for about 4-5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, be careful not to let it burn. Add the porcini and swiss brown mushrooms and cook for 1 minute.
Stir through the tomato paste for about 30 seconds, then add the stock powder and the porcini water, keep back the last tablespoon or so of the liquid, as the porcini can sometimes be a bit gritty. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and thickened. In the final 5 minutes of cooking time, add in your cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Cook the gnocchi in batches for 3-5 minutes or until firm and floating to the surface. I usually cook them until they float to the surface plus 1 minute once they have floated to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain well. Mix the gnocchi with a little of the mushroom sauce straight away, so they do not stick to one another.
Once they are all cooked, serve hot with the remainder of the mushroom sauce.
In a bowl, soak the porcini in 600ml of boiling water for 10 minutes. Reserving the soaking liquid, do not throw it out, drain the porcini and squeeze to remove as much water as possible, then finely chop.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion for about 4-5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, be careful not to let it burn. Add the porcini and swiss brown mushrooms and cook for 1 minute.
Stir through the tomato paste for about 30 seconds, then add the stock powder and the porcini water, keep back the last tablespoon or so of the liquid, as the porcini can sometimes be a bit gritty. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and thickened. In the final 5 minutes of cooking time, add in your cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Cook the gnocchi in batches for 3-5 minutes or until firm and floating to the surface. I usually cook them until they float to the surface plus 1 minute once they have floated to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain well. Mix the gnocchi with a little of the mushroom sauce straight away, so they do not stick to one another.
Once they are all cooked, serve hot with the remainder of the mushroom sauce.
Enjoy!
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