Veggie Gnocchi Class JJC Spring 2021 Recipes

Veggies never looked so good! These gnocchi recipes are NOT gluten free, but they do have a heavy focus on veggies! From the veggie gnocchi class at Joliet Junior College last spring in cased you missed it, here are pumpkin potato gnocchi and spinach Parisienne gnocchi!

Pumpkin potato gnocchi served with brown butter, parmesan Reggiano, sage and dried cranberries.

Pumpkin Gnocchi

8 oz pumpkin puree

1 lb russet potato

1 egg

TT nutmeg

TT salt and white pepper

½ c cornstarch

1 c bread flour

1 tsp sage chiffonade

2 Tb butter

Parmesan as needed

Instructions:

1. Dry out pumpkin slowly in a small saute pan over low heat until volume has reduced by half and puree is very thick. Measure out 4 oz of thick puree.

2. Prick potato with a knife and bake on kosher salt until tender. Peel and place through a ricer and let steam to evaporate moisture. Measure 8 oz of potatoes.

3. Combine potato and pumpkin. Mix flour with cornstarch.

4. Spread out pumpkin and potato on a clean table to cool slightly and add egg yolks, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and ½ of the flour mixture. Add additional flour if necessary.

5. Work to form smooth but soft dough, do not over work.

6. Shape gnocchi, cook in lightly simmering water.

7. Once they float, cook for approximately 2 minutes, remove and chill immediately.

8. Saute in whole butter until light brown with 1 tsp chiffonade sage.

9. Grated parmesan garnish

Spinach Parisienne gnocchi made with reduced spinach juice to intensify the flavor and color, served with a chicken "press," sauteed spinach, chicken jus, fried shallots, and a fresh carrot salad.

Parisienne Gnocchi

4 oz water ** can use things other than water - ANY FLAVORFUL LIQUID (corn milk, beet juice, spinach juice, can add vegetable powder and rehydrate it with water in the same ratio, etc) Keep in mind that different liquids have different viscosities. This means that slight adjustments (like adding a little more flour or adding one less egg) is something that might be necessary depending on the liquid you choose.

2 oz butter

¼ tsp salt

Black pepper to taste

3.5 oz ap flour

2 eggs

Salt, pepper, herb, parmesan, citrus zest, horseradish, mustard, etc

Instructions:

1. Bring butter, sugar, salt, and water (or any flavorful liquid) to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, quickly stir in flour. Return to heat, cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from sides and a film forms on bottom of pan, about 3 minutes.

2. Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until slightly cooled, about 1 minute. Raise speed to medium; add whole eggs, 1 at a time, until batter is thick and tacky. When the mixer is on, you should be able to see "spider legs" from the dough forming around the paddle as it mixes. It will also make a certain "slapping" sound when mixing when the consistency is right. This is the trickiest part of the recipe, and might take some refining as different varieties are created. Ultimately, the end goal is to pipe the dough into simmering water, cutting with a pairing knife directly into the water. If the dough is too wet, it will drip out of the bag. If it's too stiff, it won't pipe out of the bag and be cut into the water easily, and will also taste extremely dense/gummy in texture.

3. When piping into simmering water, do so in small batches for about 1-2 minutes per batch. This will depend on the size of the gnocchi that are cut into the water. Use a small strainer or spider to remove the gnocchi from the water, and place them on a sheet tray that is lined with plastic wrap and sprayed with nonstick spray. Continue the piping/cutting in, cooking, and placing on the tray, then store COVERED WITH PLASTIC WRAP WELL in the fridge for 2-3 days.

4. To serve, saute over medium heat in a little canola oil until some good color is developed on the gnocchi, then add butter, herbs, other aromatics, and continue to saute until they're golden brown and the butter is browned. Enjoy!

These recipes are meant to inspire creativity and a comfortable vibe in the kitchen. They are forgiving recipes that highlight common ingredients that you likely already have at home in your fridge or pantry. Don't have one of the ingredients in one of these recipes that you want to make? No worries! There's probably a decent substitute in your kitchen already. Think about what role the ingredient plays in the recipe (sweet, sour, salty, acidic, etc), and what could work in its place. Want to make an adjustment to fit the taste buds of your family better? Do it! As long as a basic understanding of how ingredients work together is paired with a basic understanding of how to manage heat and temperature control, the results are deliciously unending!

Make one of these recipes at home? Take a picture and share it on social media! Tag @FlourchildstuffLLC or use #flourchildstuffllc, show us the flours you have blooming in your kitchen!

*A big thank you to Chef Bucci for teaching these recipes, methods, and techniques at JJC. I truly learned that a proper foundation of fundamentals of cooking can take you anywhere you want to go.