Golden Beet Chevre Gnocchi

Better to try something and fail than to never have tried at all...afterall I can always try again, I don't give up!  This has been something that I have been saying to myself reguarding the making of gnocchi!  I had attempted making gnocchi quite a few times in the last month and almost given up, because my gnocchi always turned out like dumplings, too sticky to be shaped, or too full of flour.  But I don't give up.  So last weekend I attempted to make them again...and succeeded!  Ok, so part of the problem was I wasn't following recipes, because I never do.  Also I wasn't making the traditional potato gnocchi, so that might have been why the dough was more sticky.  But whatever the case this time I made them with golden beets and chevre and they turned out delcious!  Pillowy and soft as gnocchi should be!  Not tough and heavy like my failed attempts. 

I had thought that chevre would have less moisture than the traditional ricotta, therefore needing less flour...and I was right!  The gnocchi dough itself only had 4 ingredients, chevre, golden beets, eggs and flour, and proved to be easy to shape!  The only thing I was disappointed about was the fact that the lovely yellow color of the beets was lost in the gnocchi.  But I got over it when I tasted how delicious they were!  I could be sneaky and serve them to beet haters and they would love them not even knowing they contained beets!  I decided to serve them with a caramelized shallot and fennel mixture laced with garlic and lemon and topped off with crunchy walnuts.  It was all delicious once it was plated, and quite beautiful, especially to me since it was a sucess!  The gnocchi were like little delicious pillows, toasty on the outside, soft in the middle, and the fennel and shallots were almost jam like, deliciously savory with the garlic and tart lemon.  It was the perfect dish for a chilly spring day!  Here is the recipe if you would like to try some for yourself! 

Golden Beet Chevre Gnocchi with Caramelized Fennel and Toasted Walnuts

Serves 3

4 oz organic local chevre (soft goat cheese)
1/2 cup roasted organic golden beat puree*
2 cups all purpose flour (sifted), plus additional for flouring work surface
1 large organic egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 large organic fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
4 large shallots, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme (or 2 tsp dried)
2 large organic lemons
1/2 cup toasted walnuts

In a large bowl, beat together the goat cheese beet puree and mix until evenly combined.  Add the eggs, followed by the salt, and pepper.  Slowly add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time until it is all incorporated into the dough. If your dough seems a bit too wet, feel free to add an extra 1/4 cup of flour. Turn the dough out onto a heavily floured work surface and knead for a few minutes. The dough will still be fairly wet, but you should be able to handle it.  Working with about a handful of dough at a time, roll out a long snake about an inch thick. Use a floured knife to cut out the gnocchi every inch and a half or so. Roll each gnocchi along the tines of a fork (or simply indent by gently pressing the back of the fork into the side of each nugget). Place the formed gnocchi on a floured baking sheet.  When ready to cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and add the gnocchi in batches. Let cook until they bob to the surface and then cook for an additional 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to pull out of the pot and set aside on a plate.  Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet.  Add fennel, shallots, and saute until caramelized and soft, about 8-10 minutes.  Add garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Remove fennel and shallots from pan and set aside.  Add additional 2 Tbsp olive oil to the pan, and add gnocchi.  Cook until golden on each side, about 4-5 minutes total.  Add shallots back to the pan along with 1 Tbsp zest, juice of 2 lemons, a little more olive oil if desired, walnuts, and sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Cook until heated through, and serve warm  with a salad!

*To roast beets, preheat the oven to 475 degrees.  Wrap 2 large beets in foil and roast in the oven for about an hour or until tender when pierced with a knife.  Let cool, peel, and puree in a blender. 

Sweet Potato Dumplings with Toasted Walnuts and Roquefort

A couple weekends ago I had attempted making sweet potato gnocchi and failed misreably as they disintegrated in the boiling water.  I could have cried, but instead tossed them and made a salad for dinner.  I decided to give it a go again today, but this time simply make dumplings so I wouldn't have to go through the shaping process...that will be saved for another time.  This time the dumplings made with they simmered in the water and I removed the first few to sample, I could have cheered I was so happy they held together.  Instead I settled for a sip of my red wine and smiled, since nobody would have heard me cheering anyhow. This time I believe the sweet potatoes in the dumplings were a success, due mostly to adding enough binding elements! 

When they they would be delicious in a soup, but tonight I decided to simply saute them with a little olive oil and shallots, and finish them off with toasted walnuts, spinach for color, and some roquefort cheese, which is one of my all time favorite cheeses.  It has such a wonderful salty yet sweet quality, perfect with walnuts and vegetables!  It was all delicious, and I was happy that I decided to stay home and prepare dinner rather than pay a large amount for it tonight.  Here is the recipe if you would like to try them!  Feel free to cut the recipe in half if you wish to make less.

Sweet Potato Dumplings with Toasted Walnuts and Roquefort

Serves 4-6

2 cups roasted sweet potato puree*

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground chipotle powder

3 large organic eggs

3 cups flour

6 Tbsp olive oil, divided
4 shallots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup toasted walnuts
juice of 2 lemons
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 cups baby spinach
4 oz roquefort cheese, crumbled

To make dumplings, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Beat together eggs, sweet potato puree, garlic, sea salt, and chipotle in a large bowl with an electric mixer until blended. Stir in flour until well combined. Use 2 teaspoons (silverware, not measuring spoons) to form dumplings, scoop up a rounded teaspoon of batter, then use second spoon to scoop mixture off spoon and into boiling water. Make 9 more dumplings. In the boiling water, simmer briskly until dumplings are just firm in center and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a plate and cool, covered with damp paper towel. Continue making dumplings in batches of 10.

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, then add shallots, and saute until starting to soften, about 3 minutes.  Add dumplings, and cook dumplings, turning gently, until heated through and golden on each side, 5-8 minutes. Add walnuts, lemon juice, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and spinach and cook until spinach is just wilted.  Remove from heat and stir in roquefort.  Serve hot!

 

*For puree, sweet potatoes that have been pricked with a fork a few times on a baking sheet in the oven at 450 degrees until very soft, about 1 hour and 10 minutes for large potatoes (or less if smaller).  Allow to cool, remove skin and puree until smooth.