Rich and Hearthy Recipes from Deborah
Mushroom Gnocchi With Sauteed Spinach And Mushroom Topping
I tasted a similar gnocchi dish at a restaurant in Toronto many years ago and loved its simplicity.
When I went to make the dish myself at home, I decided to bump up the mushroom flavor by using powdered dried porcini mushrooms in the actual gnocchi itself. Dried porcini have an intense mushroom flavor but the ricotta tempers it just enough so that the dried porcini simply add another layer of mushroom flavor to this dish without overwhelming it.
The added powdered porcini does act like a starch though, so you should not need as much flour as you would in a basic ricotta gnocchi recipe.
Ingredients:
Gnocchi:
1 Pound Ricotta
1 Cup of Flour (Plus Extra For Shaping))
1 Extra Large Egg
1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Ounce Powdered Dried Porcini Mushrooms (See Above)
1 Teaspoon Salt
Topping:
6 Ounces Portobello Mushrooms
6 Ounces Cremini Mushrooms
5 to 6 Cups Baby Spinach Leaves
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter Plus Additional 2 Tablespoons Butter
To Be Used At End
Salt & Pepper
To Serve:
Shaved Pecorino Cheese
Preparation:
In a bowl, place the ricotta, grated cheese, powdered porcini, egg, and salt. Add 3/4 cup of the flour and mix briefly. Add only as much more flour as you need to create a workable dough. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
Divide the dough into fist size pieces, and roll into long logs as thick as your thumb on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 1 1/2 inch crosswise slices and gently place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the dough in this manner. If not using immediately, place in the refrigerator.
Slice the mushrooms, then cut into pieces no larger than 2 inches. Once cooked, you do not want the mushroom piecers to be larger than the gnocchi. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan and cook the mushrooms until tender and brown.
Remove from the heat. When you place the gnocchi into the boiling water, reheat the the mushrooms and add the additional 2 tablespoons of butter and the spinach. Stir just until the spinach has wilted. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
To cook the gnocchi, drop into lightly salted water and remove as soon as they float to the top, after 1 or 2 minutes. Place in a warmed bowl, top with your mushroom sauce, and gently mix. Serve in individual bowls with shaved pecorino cheese on top.
Cooks Tip: The secret to making these gnocchi is to dry the ingredients as much as you can before using. I let my ricotta drain of excess water by placing it in a strainer over a bowl and leaving it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using.
Serves 4.
Eggplant Steaks With Tomato Salad
I love eggplant of any shape, color, or size, and in fact I have many, many recipes that feature eggplant as the main ingredient.
I cooked a number of dishes with eggplants the past few months, but the one I think we probably enjoyed the most was the one I am sharing here.
Just be sure to choose very fresh, smaller sized eggplants which tend to be less bitter. I have added a splash of balsamic vinegar to my tomato salad as well which was in fact delicious, so do give it a try, but I found after making this recipe many times I really preferred the simplicity of the sweet flavor of ripe cherry tomatoes on their own.
Ingredients:
2 Medium Sized Eggplants (See Note Above)
2 Medium Eggs
1/3 Cup Fat Free Milk
2 1/2 Cups Breadcrumbs
1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil Spray
Tomato Salad:
2 Cups Halved Cherry Tomatoes
1 Large Garlic Clove, Peeled & Minced
Salt & Pepper
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In one bowl beat the eggs and milk. In a separate bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, grated cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cut off the stem and bottom ends of the eggplant and then slice it crosswise into 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices.
Spray two foil lined baking sheets with a little olive oil spray. First dip the eggplant slices into the egg mixture and then the breadcrumbs, pushing gently with your fingers to help the crumbs adhere. Place the slices side by side on the baking sheets. Continue to bread all of the slices in this manner until they are all coated in crumbs.
Lightly spray the tops of the eggplant on the trays with olive oil spray and then bake 12 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake another 12 to 15 minutes or until the slices are golden brown but tender when pierced with the times of a fork.
While the eggplant is baking, toss together the ingredients for the tomato salad. Serve the eggplant warm, or at room temperature arranged on a platter with the tomato salad either spooned on top or served alongside in a bowl.
Serves 4-6.
Buon appetito!
