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no matter what the road block in life, a great recipe can get you back to the bright side

Wednesday 13 April 2011

Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Gnocchi

Greatness on the plate! This was MUCH simpler then I expected it to be!


I saw this recipe on Something for the Weekend. Watching this show used to be a Sunday morning ritual of mine, I don't know why it stopped but I'm glad I started watching again. 


When Simon Rimmer was making this on the show he made it look dead simple and I'm a HUGE fan of butternut squash, so I knew I couldn't pass this up! I've made gnocchi before, homemade gnocchi is SOOOOO much better then store bought, trust me on this one! And really it's so simple to make, even if you decide top it with store bought pasta sauce or simply some herbs and olive oil. I don't think I'll EVER use the store bought stuff again!





Ingredients:

For the gnocchi:
600g/1lb 5oz floury potatoes
450g/1lb flour
1 free-range egg
salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil, for drizzling
400g/14oz butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed chopped into cubes
50ml/2fl oz white wine
75ml/21/2fl oz double cream
1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon (I couldn't get my hands on fresh tarragon so I used basil)
handful chopped spinach (also didn't have fresh spinach on hand so I used frozen instead, but this meant that I put it into the sauce sooner than it asked for, but not a problemo!!)

For the pecorino crumb:
150g/51/2oz breadcrumbs
75g/3oz pecorino, finely grated
75g/3oz butter, melted
1 tbsp chopped hazelnuts
Preparation method

**Note**: You'll get the instructions for the crumb at the end, I decided to do it differently because I wanted some extra crunch and wanted the cheese and nuts toasted also. So instead of following the instructions below for the crumb, I instead mixed it all together. Put the gnocchi-sauce mix in a casserole, topped it with the crumb mix then popped that under the grill for a bit to make it crunchie...mmmmm mmmmmmm!

So we meet again. Last time I used this knife, on a similar butternut squash my fingers were sacrificed for taste. This time, I will make sure not to fall victim to the same fate! Bring it!

I win! + artsy

Ingredients prep photo!


Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas4.

2. Cook the potatoes in boiling water for 20-25 minutes, or until soft, then drain. Either the pass the potatoes through a ricer, or mash well and place in a large bowl.

3. Make a well in the centre of the potatoes and add the egg, salt and freshly ground black pepper and flour. Mix by hand to form a dough, then knead for a few minutes.

The best part!!


4. Divide the potato mixture into five pieces. Roll each piece into a cylinder and cut into 2.5cm/1in pieces.


5. Cook the gnocchi into boiling water. When they rise to the top, remove from the saucepan with a slotted spoon and refresh in iced water. Drain, drizzle with olive oil and keep warm.

6. Meanwhile, roast half of the butternut squash for 20-25 minutes, or until tender.

7. Cook the remaining squash in boiling water for 5-10 minutes, or until soft. Drain then blend in a food processor until smooth. Place the purée into a saucepan over a medium heat and stir in the white wine and cream.

8. Add the cooked gnocchi to the sauce and cook for a further five minutes. Stir in the tarragon, roasted butternut squash and chopped spinach.



9. For the pecorino crumb, toast the breadcrumbs in a dry frying pan until golden-brown. Mix the breadcrumbs, pecorino, butter and hazelnuts in a bowl until well combined. (This is the bit I did differently!! See above!)

Crunchy!!

10. To serve, spoon the gnocchi into serving bowls and sprinkle over the pecorino crumb.

Final product!

Extreme artsy close-up!!! nom nom nom!







x




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