Homemade Gnocchi with Roast Salmon, Butternut Squash and Chestnuts
As you might have guessed, I got some purple potatoes in the veg box this week from Riverford and, since I enjoy a culinary challenge, I set about coming up with a recipe to use them in. I've always wanted to give gnocchi a go and that's how this dish began... Feel free to use normal baking potatoes if you can't get your hands on purple!
Gnocchi are light, potato-based sort of dumplings used much in the same way as pasta, that is to say, served in a sauce by Italians as the first course to a feast or used as a side dish to the main event. This particular incarnation makes the best use out of seasonal ingredients with chestnuts and butternut squash as well as a gorgeous fillet of butter-roasted salmon. As always the better the ingredients, the better the dish, so save this for a special occasion and pull all the stops out!
Homemade Gnocchi with Roast Salmon, Butternut Squash and Chestnuts
Serves 4
rock salt
2 large baking potatoes (purple if you can find them!)
4 free-range egg yolks
60g Italian '00' flour, plus extra for rolling
30g/1½oz parmesan, freshly grated
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
4 salmon fillets, skin on
75g butter
150g cooked chestnut, peeled and chopped
150g butternut squash, peeled, cut into 1.25cm/½in pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Cover the bottom of a baking tray with rock salt then place the potatoes on top and bake them for one hour, or until completely cooked through. Remove the potatoes from the oven and set aside to cool.
Once cool, cut the potatoes in half and scoop 200g of the flesh into a bowl. Discard the skins. (Use any leftover potato in another dish.) Mash the potato until smooth and add the egg yolks, flour, parmesan, salt and the oregano. Stir together until the mixture comes together as a dough.
Increase the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Divide the mixture into four, and then on a floured surface, roll each piece into a long sausage shape, about 1¼cm/½in in diameter. With a sharp knife, cut each sausage into 2½cm/1in pieces of gnocchi (each gnocchi will look like a small pillow). Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Drop the gnocchi into the water and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until they float to the top. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place onto a plate. Reserve the cooking water.
Meanwhile, heat 25g of the butter in an ovenproof frying pan until foaming and fry the salmon, skin-side down, for 2-3 minutes. Carefully turn the salmon over and roast in the oven for 5-8 minutes, or until just cooked. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside to rest for five minutes.
In a separate frying pan, heat 25g of butter until foaming, then add the chestnuts and butternut squash and cook for 5 minutes, or until the butternut squash is tender. Add a little cooking water from the gnocchi to the pan, then whisk in the remaining 25g butter until the sauce thickens slightly. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the cooked gnocchi and continue to heat until the gnocchi is warmed through.
To serve, spoon the gnocchi into large serving bowls and top with the salmon.
Gnocchi are light, potato-based sort of dumplings used much in the same way as pasta, that is to say, served in a sauce by Italians as the first course to a feast or used as a side dish to the main event. This particular incarnation makes the best use out of seasonal ingredients with chestnuts and butternut squash as well as a gorgeous fillet of butter-roasted salmon. As always the better the ingredients, the better the dish, so save this for a special occasion and pull all the stops out!
Homemade Gnocchi with Roast Salmon, Butternut Squash and Chestnuts
Serves 4
rock salt
2 large baking potatoes (purple if you can find them!)
4 free-range egg yolks
60g Italian '00' flour, plus extra for rolling
30g/1½oz parmesan, freshly grated
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
4 salmon fillets, skin on
75g butter
150g cooked chestnut, peeled and chopped
150g butternut squash, peeled, cut into 1.25cm/½in pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Cover the bottom of a baking tray with rock salt then place the potatoes on top and bake them for one hour, or until completely cooked through. Remove the potatoes from the oven and set aside to cool.
Once cool, cut the potatoes in half and scoop 200g of the flesh into a bowl. Discard the skins. (Use any leftover potato in another dish.) Mash the potato until smooth and add the egg yolks, flour, parmesan, salt and the oregano. Stir together until the mixture comes together as a dough.
Increase the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Divide the mixture into four, and then on a floured surface, roll each piece into a long sausage shape, about 1¼cm/½in in diameter. With a sharp knife, cut each sausage into 2½cm/1in pieces of gnocchi (each gnocchi will look like a small pillow). Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Drop the gnocchi into the water and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until they float to the top. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place onto a plate. Reserve the cooking water.
Meanwhile, heat 25g of the butter in an ovenproof frying pan until foaming and fry the salmon, skin-side down, for 2-3 minutes. Carefully turn the salmon over and roast in the oven for 5-8 minutes, or until just cooked. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside to rest for five minutes.
In a separate frying pan, heat 25g of butter until foaming, then add the chestnuts and butternut squash and cook for 5 minutes, or until the butternut squash is tender. Add a little cooking water from the gnocchi to the pan, then whisk in the remaining 25g butter until the sauce thickens slightly. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the cooked gnocchi and continue to heat until the gnocchi is warmed through.
To serve, spoon the gnocchi into large serving bowls and top with the salmon.
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