WILD MUSHROOM GNOCCHI

Glorious creamy white wine, garlic, turmeric, lemon, wild ceps, chanterelles and chestnut mushroom sauce sumptuously draped over light and fluffy goats cheese gnocchi.  These are little pillows of heaven they just melt in your mouth a buttery light potato gnocchi with the creamy sharp tang of goats cheese smothered in the rich cream, white wine and delicate lemon wild mushrooms sauce, finished with Parmesan shavings, this should be eaten with a spoon so you can get the maximum gnocchi and sauce in your mouth in one go and eaten in private or with people you love as they are lip smacking gorgeous. 

Super easy to make allow 1 hour

Make all of this up to one day in advance, to serve just heat the sauce and cook the gnocchi for 2 minutes in salted simmering water, drain and toss in the sauce and serve, Ta Da... 

Ingredients 

(serves 4 as a main or 8 as a starter)

Gnocchi 

500g King Edward floury potatoes

240g 00 gnocchi Italian flour (caputo)

More flour for dusting 

1 egg beaten 

100g soft gooey goats cheese cut into chunks

Himalayan sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper 

Wild Mushroom Sauce 

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 small shallot finely diced

2 cloves garlic finely chopped 

100g wild ceps sliced

50g wild chanterelles sliced

100g sliced chestnut mushrooms 

1 zest lemon

1/2 tsp turmeric 

1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

250ml white wine

600ml double cream

Himalayan sea salt 

Fresh ground black pepper 

Gnocchi 

Boil your potatoes with the skin on, drain and leave to steam dry in a colander, once cool enough to handle peel the skins off and either discard or roast or fry sprinkle with sea salt for crispy skin chips!  Mash the potatoes then gently fold in the beaten egg, goats cheese chunks, flour, salt and pepper until just combined.  Divide the slightly crumbled mixture into four, on a floured work top mould, shape and roll each quarter of the mixture into a long sausage around one inch thick.

Cut one inch sections off the gnocchi sausage, these then will need to be rolled to create grooves in the gnocchi that will hold the sauce creating these gorgeous pillows of heaven.  To do this you can use a fork or butter pats, or a proper Italian gnocchi rolling board.  I have used a fork and butter pats.  The gnocchi will only take two minutes to cook.

Gnocchi made with butter pats and a fork

Wild Mushroom Sauce 

Before you cook the gnocchi make the sauce, heat the olive oil and butter add the shallot and garlic, soften for five minutes, add the mushrooms and cook for three minutes, remove from the pan and reserve to one side, add the wine and deglaze the pan and reduce the wine by half, the add the cream, lemon zest, turmeric and nutmeg.  Simmer until slightly thickened, add back the mushrooms, garlic and shallots, taste and season with salt and pepper, that’s the sauce done!  Keep warm while you cook the gnocchi. I 

To cook the Gnocchi bring a pan of sea salted water to a gentle rolling simmer, drop in the gnocchi and cook for around two minutes, the gnocchi will float as soon as it’s cooked, remove from the pan with a sieve and add to your warm sauce, toss and serve immediately, finish the dish with a smattering of Parmesan shavings and a mixed side salad tossed in a olive oil, lemon and mustard dressing.

This also goes great with some nutty garlic sage butter, a simple sauce of melted butter, garlic and sage leaves cooked for a couple of minutes until the butter starts to lightly brown, toss in the gnocchi and serve.