Lyndsay Fogarty
A year-round staple on the Cooper’s Hawk Winery menu, the Gnocchi with Roasted Butternut Squash will make a unique side dish on the Thanksgiving table or it can stand on its own as a main dish through the week. Finished with sage, brown butter cream sauce and Parmesan shavings, this is a comfort food dish that you can curl up with as the weather gets cooler.
Ingredients
Yield: Serves 2-4
- ¾ cup Roasted Butternut Squash
- 3 TBL Butter
- 20 oz Cooked Gnocchi, Precooked and Cooled (Use store bought or use recipe below)
- ¼ cup Caramelized Onions
- ½ tsp Sage, Chopped Finely
- 2 TBL Cooper’s Hawk Chardonnay
- 1 cup Chicken Stock
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
- 2 cup, Lightly Packed Baby Spinach Leaves
- 2 TBL Grated Reggiano Parmesan Cheese
- Kosher Salt and Fresh Cracked Black Pepper to Taste
- 1 ½ tsp White Truffle Oil
- 1/3 Cup Regiano Parmesan Cheese, Shaved Fine
Method
Place a large saute pan on medium-high heat. Add butter and melt until lightly browned. When melted and light brown, add the cooked gnocchi. Allow the gnocchi to toast to golden brown, tossing every minute or so. While browning the gnocchi, warm the roasted butternut squash in a small pot, very slowly. Do not burn or scorch! When warmed through, cover and hold hot. Add the sage and caramelized onion to gnocchi. Toss well to incorporate and add with white wine. Allow the wine to cook dry, and immediately add chicken stock and cream. Simmer the gnocchi and sauce for 45 seconds, allowing the flavors to combine and the sauce to reduce slightly. Adjust seasoning with salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
Remove the pan from the heat and add spinach. Toss well to incorporate and wilt the spinach. Immediately add the grated Parmesan and toss well to incorporate and to flavor and thicken the sauce. Remove to a platter and using a spoon, place the roasted butternut squash in small even mounds across the top of the gnocchi, and drizzle the entire plate with truffle oil. Sprinkle with Shaved Parmesan cheese just before serving.
Options: Add pulled chicken or shrimp to the gnocchi after the cream has begun reducing.
Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Butternut Squash, Washed, Cut in half, seeds removed
- 3 TBL Butter
- 3 TBL Brown Sugar
- 4 Ginger Slices, 1/8” Thick, Smashed
- 8 Sage Leaves
- 1 tsp Rosemary, Fresh, Rough Chop
- 4 Garlic Cloves, Smashed
- 1 ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- Cracked Black Pepper, Fresh Ground
- 1 cup Water
- Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
Method
Place 2 halves of butternut squash in a 3” minimum deep pan with skin side down, flesh side up and evenly sprinkle flesh side of squash including cavity with butter, herbs, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Pour water around squash and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Place in a 375 convection oven for approximately 70 minutes or until squash is extremely tender, like a mashed potato. Remove foil and let cool to room temperature. Remove large pieces of garlic, ginger and herbs and reserve liquid. Scoop soft squash flesh into a bowl and smash with a large fork or potato masher and add reserved liquid to create the consistency of mashed potatoes, but not too loose. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Either refrigerate for up to 4 days or keep warm for immediate use.
Making Fresh Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Golden Yukon Potatoes
- 3 to 4 Large Egg Yolks
- 1/2 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1/4 tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting board and dough
Method
Bake the potatoes in a preheated 400 degrees F oven for 1 hour until fork tender. Let sit until cool enough to handle, cut in half, and scoop out the flesh.
Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer. Make a mound of potatoes on a table or work surface with a well in the middle, like making pasta, add 3 of the egg yolks, the cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix in the potatoes and mix well with fingers.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of flour over the mound and, using your fingers, press it into the potatoes. Fold the dough over on itself and press down again. Sprinkle on more flour, little by little, folding and pressing the dough until it just holds together, (do not to knead it.)
Work any dough clinging to your fingers back into the dough. If the mixture is too dry, add another egg yolk or a pinch of water. To test if the dough is the correct consistency, take a piece and roll it with your hands on a well-floured board into a rope 1/2-inch in diameter. If the dough holds together, it is ready. If not, add more flour, fold and press the dough several more times, test again.
Keeping work surface and dough lightly floured, cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 1/2-inch in diameter. Cut into 1/2-inch-long pieces. Lightly flour the gnocchi as you cut them. You can cook these as is or form them into the classic gnocchi shape using the back of a large fork.
As you shape the gnocchi, dust them lightly with flour and scatter them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
When ready to cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a few TBL of salt. Drop in the gnocchi and cook for about 90 seconds from the time they rise to the surface. Remove the cooked gnocchi with a skimmer, shake off the excess water, toss with a bit of oil and cool on a sheet pan in refrigerator until ready to use.
Courtesy of Cooper’s Hawk Winery
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