Potato Gnocchi With Wild Mushroom Sugo Recipes

POTATO GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Spread a layer of kosher salt on a baking sheet and arrange the potatoes on top (see Cook's Note). Bake until a bit overcooked, about 45 minutes. Let sit until cool enough to handle, cut in half, and scoop out the flesh. Reserve the potato skins, if desired, for another use.
• Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer or grate them on the large holes of a box grater. You should have about 2 cups. Make a mound of potatoes on the counter with a well in the middle, add 3 of the egg yolks, the cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix in the potatoes and mix well with hands. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the flour over the potatoes and, using your knuckles, press it into the potatoes. Fold the mass over on itself and press down again. Sprinkle on more flour, little by little, folding and pressing the dough until it just holds together, (try not to knead it.) Work any dough clinging to your fingers back into the dough. If the mixture is too dry, add another egg yolk or a little water. The dough should give under slight pressure. It will feel firm but yielding. To test if the dough is the correct consistency, take a piece and roll it with your hands on a well-floured board into a rope 1/2-inch in diameter. If the dough holds together, it is ready. If not, add more flour, fold and press the dough several more times, and test again.
• Keeping your work surface and the dough lightly floured, cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 1/2-inch in diameter. Cut into 1/2-inch-long pieces. Lightly flour the gnocchi as you cut them. You can cook these as is or form them into the classic gnocchi shape with a gnocchi board, ridged butter paddle, or the tines of a large fork turned upside down. Rest the bottom edge of the gnocchi board on the work surface, then tilt it at about a 45 degree angle. Take each piece and squish it lightly with your thumb against the board while simultaneously pushing it away from you. It will roll away and around your thumb, taking on a cupped shape -- with ridges on the outer curve from the board and a smooth surface on the inner curve where your thumb was. (Shaping them takes some time and dexterity. You might make a batch just for practice.) The indentation holds the sauce and helps gnocchi cook faster.
• As you shape the gnocchi, dust them lightly with flour and scatter them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or waxed paper. Set gnocchi filled cookie sheet in front of a fan on low for 1/2 hour (turning gnocchi after 15 minutes). If you will not cook the gnocchi until the next day or later, freeze them. Alternatively, you can poach them now, drain and toss with a little olive oil, let cool, then refrigerate several hours or overnight. To reheat, dip in hot water for 10 to 15 seconds, then toss with browned butter until hot.
• When ready to cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Drop in the gnocchi and cook for about 90 seconds from the time they rise to the surface. Remove the cooked gnocchi with a skimmer, shake off the excess water, and serve as desired.

POTATO GNOCCHI WITH WILD MUSHROOM SUGO

Steps:

• For the gnocchi:
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bake potatoes until very soft on a bed of coarse salt in a baking dish, about 45 minutes. (The salt keeps the potatoes from touching the dish and developing a hard spot.) Cool potatoes until warm, then halve lengthwise and scoop out the flesh. Pass the flesh through a food mill or ricer, or push it through a coarse sieve. You should have about 4 cups.
• In a bowl, combine potato, egg yolks, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Work the mixture with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add 1 cup of the flour and knead very gently, patting and pressing the dough with your hands until all the flour is incorporated. Add some or all of the additional 1/4 cup flour if the dough feels too moist, it should be soft but shouldn't stick to your hands. Transfer dough to a work surface and roll into a log about 3 inches in diameter. Cut the log into 8 equal pieces.
• Give each piece a quarter-turn so that you are rolling the dough in a different direction, then roll into ropes, a generous 1/2-inch in diameter, as if making breadsticks. Flour the ropes generously, and then cut crosswise at 1/2-inch intervals. You can shape the gnocchi on a ridged butter paddle or on the back of a fork, or you can cook them as is. Let them dry at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before cooking.
• For the sugo:
• Heat a large saute pan over high heat. When hot, add oil, and then sprinkle in the mushrooms. Don't stir! Let the mushrooms sizzle and caramelize for 7 to 8 minutes. Stir and season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute to release its fragrance. Add the rosemary and shallot and cook for about a minute. Cook briefly to release their fragrance, then add tomato and red wine and simmer until almost evaporated. Add the broth or water. Simmer until slightly reduced, 4 to 5 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Sprinkle with the parsley and keep warm.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi. They are usually done about 2 minutes after they float to the surface, but test 1 to be sure. Lift them out with a skimmer and transfer to a large platter. Pour the warm sauce over the gnocchi. Grate Parmesan over the top and serve immediately.

GNOCCHI WITH WILD MUSHROOM RAGU

Steps:

• Heat half of the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add half of the wild mushrooms and cook until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then push to the edges of the pot. Add the remaining olive oil and wild mushrooms and cook 3 to 5 more minutes. Add the cremini mushrooms and cook 1 more minute. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes. Add the wine; cook, scraping up any browned bits, about 2 more minutes. Add the tomatoes, 2 cups water, the bay leaves, coriander, fennel, red pepper flakes, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium heat, about 30 minutes (thin with water if needed). Season with salt and pepper.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi, stir and cook for 1 minute after they float, about 3 minutes total. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the pot with the sauce and gently stir over low heat. Serve topped with mascarpone and/or mint.

GNOCCHI WITH ASIAN HAZELNUT PESTO AND WILD MUSHROOM RAGOUT LEFTOVERS: PESTO SOUP WITH MUSHROOM DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Fill a saucepan with enough salted water to cover the potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook uncovered until they are soft, about 30 minutes.
• Drain the potatoes from the pot and pass them through a ricer, onto a clean cutting board. Prepare a large stockpot with about 6 quarts of salted water and bring to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water and keep in close proximity to the stockpot.
• Form a well in the middle of the potatoes and scatter with the flour. Add the egg to the middle of the well and mix with a fork. As you are mixing, add the cheese, chives, basil, cilantro, salt and pepper. Work the mixture until it reaches a smooth consistency. Knead the dough until it is dry enough so that it does not stick to the cutting board. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
• Place the dough into a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch tip and press out bite-sized pieces. Place the pieces on a tray lined with parchment paper, making sure that they do not stick together. Return to the stockpot and in small batches, drop the gnocchi into the boiling water. When the gnocchi float to the top, transfer them to the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Remove the gnocchi from the ice water and place them into a clean pan. Drizzle with the olive oil to prevent the gnocchi from drying out.
• When ready, heat a large saute pan over high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil shimmers, add about 20 of the gnocchi and quickly sear, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the gnocchi using a spatula and allow them to drain on a paper towel.
• Plating: Portion out the gnocchi and place them in the center of the plate. Place the mushroom ragout on top of the gnocchi and sprinkle with the tomatoes and the lemon zest. Drizzle the Asian pesto around the outside of the plate.
• Heat a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and shallots and saute, stirring until soft, about 5 minutes. Add all the mushrooms and saute until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the wine, stir, and cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, demi-glace, dark soy sauce, and thyme, and simmer until reduced by half, about 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and correct the seasonings. Set aside.
• In a food processor, combine the hazelnuts, garlic, cilantro, mint, Thai basil, olive oil lemon juice, salt and pepper. Puree for about 2 minutes or until all the ingredients are incorporated.
• In a saucepan, heat the stock and whisk in the pesto. Check for seasoning. Meanwhile, lay out 12 wonton skins and place a small mound of the ragout in the center. Top with basil or cilantro leaf. Egg wash the perimeter of each wonton and top with second skin. Press down hard on all sides to seal. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, blanch the raviolis for only 3 to 4 minutes until the skins become translucent.
• Plating: In 4 large soup plates, place a small mound of spinach with the tomatoes and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Place 3 raviolis on top and ladle in the hot broth. Serve with crusty bread.

POTATO GNOCCHI WITH WILD MUSHROOM SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of cold water to a boil. Remove stems from shiitake mushrooms, and trim stems of others. Cut all the mushrooms into 1/4-inch slices, and set aside.
• In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add shallots, and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Raise heat to medium high, add mushrooms and thyme sprigs, and cook until mushrooms begin to brown on the edges, about 4 minutes. Remove thyme, add chicken stock, and reduce to 1 tablespoon, about 30 seconds. Add cream, salt, and pepper, cooking until cream thickens slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Drop precooked gnocchi into the pot of boiling water, and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. (If gnocchi are prepared in advance but not yet cooked, boil them as described in Step 4 of the Potato Gnocchi recipe.) Lift gnocchi out of the water with a slotted spoon or skimmer, and transfer to the mushroom sauce, stirring until evenly coated; cook for about 1 to 2 minutes. Divide among 6 plates, drizzle with truffle oil (if using), and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and marjoram leaves. Serve immediately.

GNOCCHI WITH WILD-MUSHROOM SAUTE

Steps:

• Brush the mushrooms to remove any loose dirt and trim away the stems of those, like shiitakes, that have tough stems. Thickly slice the mushrooms if they are large and set aside.
• In a large skillet set over high heat, combine the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter. When very hot, add the garlic and cook until it just begins to turn golden, about 1 minute. Immediately add the mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms just begin to become tender, about 3 minutes. Add the wine, pepper flakes and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until about 1/2 the liquid has evaporated. Cover the skillet and cook for 5 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi according to directions and drain. Place in a serving bowl or on a platter. Stir the remaining tablespoon of butter into the mushrooms and season to taste with salt. Top the gnocchi with the mushrooms and garnish with chives. Serve immediately with grated Parmesan on the side.