Cheesy Scalloped Potato Gnocchi

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg (500 g) fresh potato gnocchi
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter
• 5 slices prosciutto, cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm) strips
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) thinly sliced red onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) 18% table cream
• 1 cup (250 mL) shredded old cheddar cheese
• 1 cup (250 mL) shredded monterey jack cheese
• A pinch each of salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) panko bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh chives

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C). Butter an 11 x 7 inch (1.5 L) baking dish; set aside.
2. In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook gnocchi for about 8 minutes or until floating and tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove gnocchi into prepared dish.
3. In a large non-stick skillet, melt butter over medium high heat. Cook prosciutto, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes or until crispy and browned. Drain on paper towel lined plate.
4. Return skillet to medium heat and cook onion and garlic for about 4 minutes or until softened and starting to brown. Add cream and bring to a simmer. Stir in cheeses, salt, and pepper until smooth. Pour evenly over gnocchi and sprinkle with prosciutto.
5. Sprinkle panko bread crumbs over top, then sprinkle with chives. Bake in oven for about 25 minutes or until bubbly around edges and light golden over top.

The post Recipe for Cheesy Scalloped Potato Gnocchi from Dairy Farmers of Ontario appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Pan-Seared Gnocchi and Caramelized Butternut Squash with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.

Ingredients

-2 lbs of Russet Potatoes
-2 tsp salt
-1 cup All-Purpose Flour or Bob Redmill 1 for 1 gluten-free flour
-Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
-4 tbsp Olive Oil
-2 garlic cloves
-2 small or 1 large Red Onion
-4- 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
-2 Red Peppers
-1/3 cup Red Wine
-1 cup Coconut Milk
-2 tbsp Coconut Oil
-1 tsp Black Pepper
-1 Small (or half) Butternut Squash
-1/4 cup of Brown Sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. With a fork, poke holes in the potatoes, so they cook evenly and place on a baking sheet with parchment. Bake for 45 mins

2. Place roasted red pepper in the oven and bake for 25 mins. Once fully toasted and soft, peel the skin off, take seeds out and cut into medium dice. Place aside in a small bowl.

3. Cut and peel butternut squash, diced into medium dice. Place in a bowl with three sprigs of thyme, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Bake for 20 mins.

4. Cut the onion into medium dice and mince garlic. In a medium saucepot, sauté onions until translucent on medium heat. Once cooked, place garlic into the pot and stir.

5. Deglaze pan with red wine (add liquid to loosen and dissolve the flavourful food particles stuck to the bottom of the pan) and reduce by half. Add all of the coconut milk and the remaining fresh thyme. Reduce sauce by half and stir in 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to finish the sauce—season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Once potatoes are fully cooked, and are easy to mash with a fork. Place into a stand mixer with paddle attachment and whip until mashed, or use a large fork to mash potatoes in a bowl. Add 2 tsp of salt and one tablespoon of olive oil to the mash and incorporate. Add in flour and kneed until the mixture forms a soft ball.

7. Cut dough into finger-sized strips and then cut strips into three. Once you cut the strips, slice them into thumbnail-sized gnocchi.

8. In a large saucepan, fill 3/4 of water and bring two tablespoons of salt to a simmer. Place gnocchi into the simmering pot and gently stir the water to stick to the bottom. Once the gnocchi floats to the top, take the pieces out using a slotted spoon. Place aside.

9. In a medium frying pan, heat at medium-high heat with one tablespoon of vegetable oil and sear the gnocchi. Toss once the gnocchi is golden brown and lifts easily off the pan.

10. Add the diced roasted red peppers and sauce to the pan with the gnocchi and toss gently. To finish, carefully fold in the butternut squash and serve.

The post Pan-Seared Gnocchi and Caramelized Butternut Squash with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce! appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

WILD MUSHROOM GNOCCHI ( MAKES 2-4 SERVINGS)

INGREDIENTS

-1 x 500 gm package high quality prepared gnocchi
-100 gm butter, softened + 1 cup butter, melted
-4 TBSP + 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil ( for fennel slaw)
-1 TBSP lemon juice
-½ cup shallots
-3 TBSP garlic, minced
-2 cups cremini mushrooms , sliced
-4 cups oyster mushrooms, broken down by hand into smaller pieces
-1 ½ cups white wine
-2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
-1 cup 35 % cream
-½ TBSP kosher salt + more to taste
-¼ TBSP fresh cracked black pepper + more to taste
-1 cup grated hard Italian cheese such as pecorino Romano, parmigiano reggiano, or grana Padano
-1 x 320gms canned lobster meat, drained and picked of any bones
-1 TBSP chopped parsley
-2 TBSP chopped chives
-2 cups shaved fennel, soaked in ice water for 1 hour, drained
-2-4 large hen’s eggs fried sunny side up
-10 gm shaved truffles *optional

METHOD

-In a large sauce pan on medium high heat, melt the 100-gm softened butter and 4 TBSP olive oil. Once the butter has melted, add the chopped shallots and cook for 1-2 minutes until softened and lightly browned.

-Add the cremini mushrooms and continue to stir while cooking for 2-4 minutes until mushrooms begin to soften and are lightly browned . Add the minced garlic and oyster mushrooms and continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add the salt and pepper

-Deglaze with the white wine and bring entire mixture to a simmer. Continue to cook until white wine has reduced by half

-Add in the chicken stock and continue to simmer until entire mixture has reduced by half

-While the sauce is simmering, heat the melted butter in a medium sauce pan, add the chunked lobster meat and just warm through, basting the lobster with the melted butter, set aside

-Once the mushroom sauce is ready, add in the cream and simmer gently.

-Cook gnocchi according to package directions and fold into the mushroom and cream sauce. Add the grated cheese, chopped parsley and fold through. Remove from heat.

-In a small mixing bowl, combine the shaved fennel, chopped chives, 2 TBSP olive oil and 1 TBSP lemon juice and lightly toss set aside

-To plate: spoon gnocchi into bowls , top with fried Hen’s egg, butter poached lobster pieces, fennel chive slaw and shaved truffles* optional

***

Check out Toben Food by Design’s website for more info on the company.

The post Wild Mushroom Gnocchi with Lobster Recipe by Chef Toben appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Following a Classic Italian welcome of Prosecco, I was delighted to nibble at a ricotta and spinach salad, complete with delicious ripe strawberries. Following that, I gladly welcomed a steak tartare to the table, feeling smug because a tartare, be it beef or fish, is my favourite. Replete with quails eggs and expert seasoning, I was glad to add Ovest to me mental list of places that serve great (GREAT) tartare!

Not quite a tartare, but a raw delight, I thoroughly enjoyed the third appetizer on offer, the Caprese di Tonno, comprised of raw tuna, creamy buffalo mozzarella, basil pesto and crispy capers. Oh god, just writing that makes me hungry. It.was.great!

Other dishes delivered to the table included a cavatelli hand cranked pasta and a glorious hand-rolled gnocchi dish. I have to say, while I loved the homemade gnocchi, the pasta was not to my taste. I like spice, but for me pasta isn’t the place for it. Others around me seemed to be giving this the thumbs up, so really it is a matter of personal taste.

What about the pizza? Surely you can’t have had an Italian feast without pizza? Don’t worry, the pizza was all present and correct, and from what I tried from the Fungi mushroom pizza with blanco sauce and truffle oil, it was both authentic and delicious. Seriously, truffle oil is like catnip to me!

So the dessert; here is where things took a turn for the dramatic. The chefs bustled over to the table, telling us they had something special planned and began to move us to the edges of the dining area, AKA their makeshift stage for the performance that was about to ensue. PHYSICALLY putting together elements to make up an A grade, the chefs laid out coffee soaked biscuits, Sicilian cannoli filling, Nutella mousse (YES!) and moreish black cherries. It was excellent, and there is a certain decadence that comes with spooning your food straight off the (perfectly sanitary!) table. Yum, yum, yum.

From the mountains to the sea, Ovest will delight in serving you up traditionally Italian flavours and dishes, just like Nonna would make! Get the tartare…and the tuna caprese…and the pizza…and the tiramisu…oh, god, just get it all.

Ovest is located at 788 King Street West in Toronto.

Visit their website for more info.

The post Ovest Restaurant Introduces New Menu appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Chef Davide Iannaci at Ovest restaurant in Toronto sent us this great Gnocchi recipe con Pesto di Pistacchi (Gnocchi with a Pistachio Pesto and Pancetta).

Serves 8-10 people.

Ingredients

For the Gnocchi:

-1kg net weight of cooked baking potatoes (peeled, boiled and passed through a food mill or potato ricer)
-300 gr of all-purpose flour
-50 gr of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
-1 egg, beaten
-1 tbsp. salt

For the Pesto and Finished Dish:

-1 cup of shelled, blanched and peeled pistachios 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
-1 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
-2 shallots, minced
-4 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 cup of unsalted butter
-200 gr of pancetta, diced
-10 slices of rolled pancetta fried for garnish

Method – Gnocchi

Boil 1kg of peeled baking potatoes (russets) in unsalted water until fully cooked. Drain for 5 minutes. Pass the potatoes through a food mill or potato ricer. Allow the potatoes to cool until room temperature. Spread the potatoes out and create a well for the flour, eggs, cheese and salt. Mix by hand for 3-5 minutes until the entire mixture is well combined. Allow the dough to rest with a damp tea towel covering the gnocchi for 10- 15 minutes. Cut the mound of gnocchi dough into approximately 1⁄2 cup portions. This will allow for the inexperienced gnocchi roller to easily roll the gnocchi. Roll on an un- floured work surface until you have logs that are the diameter of no larger than a dime. Using a bench scrapper cut the logs of gnocchi dough into approximately 1 1/2 cm centimeter gnocchi. Heavily flour and transfer to a baking sheet.

Store for up to 24 hours on a floured baking sheet covered with plastic wrap.
To cook the gnocchi bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi slowly
with the help of a spatula making sure none of the gnocchi stick together. Leave in the boiling water for 30 seconds before gently stirring to help keep the gnocchi from sticking to each other at the bottom of the pot. Once all of the gnocchi float the top continue to cook for an additional 30 seconds. Strain and keep hot while you prepare the sauce.

Method – Sauce

For the sauce begin by combining the pistachios and olive oil in a blender. Blend until extremely smooth, close to the texture of natural peanut butter. Bring a large frying pan to medium heat and cook the small pieces of pancetta until lightly golden brown and crispy. Add the shallots and garlic and continue to cook on medium heat for 1-2 more minutes. Add the pistachio pesto and 2 cups of pasta water or hot water and bring to the boil over high heat. Add the gnocchi, grated Parmigiano Reggiano and salt to taste, continue to reduce the sauce until the gnocchi is completely coated with the pesto.

To Serve

Serve garnished with a slice of crispy pancetta and a sprinkle with grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

The post Gnocchi Recipe con Pesto di Pistacchi (Gnocchi with a Pistachio Pesto and Pancetta) appeared first on Toronto Guardian.