Gnocchi with Hazelnut Butter Sauce and Wild Mushrooms and Pecorino
Tender potato gnocchi, delicately cooked to perfection, embracing a velvety butter sauce that’s been lovingly infused with the nutty richness of hazelnuts. Picture this delightful canvas adorned with a medley of sautéed wild mushrooms, their earthy essence adding depth and complexity to each mouthful. And let’s not forget the final flourish—a generous sprinkle of pecorino cheese, lending its salty tang to round off this masterpiece.
This dish not only tantalizes the palate but also tells a story of warmth and satisfaction. It’s a comforting embrace on a plate, inviting you to savour each bite.
Ingredients
3 large potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
½ cup sliced hazelnuts
1 cup hazelnut meal/flour
1 cup pasta flour
3 egg yolks
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
3 cups mushrooms
1/3 cup butter
2 garlic cloves, chopped
8 sage leaves
Directions
Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle of sea salt to help the skins crisp up in the oven.
Bake for 1 hour, or until soft in the middle.
Once balked remove from the oven and cut open to allow the steam to escape. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle scrape the middle out from the skins and mash until smooth.
Add the egg yolks and season with salt, as well as half of the grated parmesan cheese.
Blend together the hazelnut flour and pasta flour before adding to the potato mixture.
Mix together until it forms a dough.
Roll out and divide into 4 portions before shaping into long sausage shapes. Cut into 1-inch wide pieces and roll into gnocchi portions.
Dust with a little flour and put to one side while you prepare the sauce.
To cook the mushrooms simply slice into piece so that they are all approximately the same size.
Season a hot frying pan with a little sea salt and olive oil before adding the mushrooms.
The salt is vital to help draw out the moisture in the mushrooms, this will improve the flavour and texture.
The mushrooms should take approximately 5 minutes to cook, then remove from the pan and place to one side, return the pan to the heat and add the butter and garlic to the frying pan and cook gently.
Scatter in the sage leaves along with the sliced hazelnuts.
Cook the gnocchi in a large pan of boiling water, they should only take 1-2 minutes.
Meanwhile return the mushrooms to the pan, then add 2 tbsp of the cooking water from the gnocchi.
As soon as the gnocchi starts to rise to the top of the boiling water, lift out with a slotted spoon and add to the mushrooms.
Stir together gently as you don’t want to break the gnocchi and finish with a little more parmesan cheese.