Creamy truffle mushroom gnocchi
This might be the best recipe I’ve developed from scratch. Easy and delicious.
Ingredients notes: most non-chilled gnocchi is vegan (but check); the chilled stuff often isn’t. You can also make it yourself. Oat or soy cream works well and a big dollop of vegan sour cream or crème fraîche — again, oat or soy — adds more flavour. (A note on quantities.)
Ingredients
- Chestnut (brown) mushrooms
- Shallots, two
- Garlic, one clove
- Chives
- Gnocchi, vegan, half a packet
- Chilli flakes
- Brandy
- Black truffle oil
- Cream, vegan
- Sour cream/crème fraiche, vegan (optional)
- Pine nuts (optional)
- Nutritional yeast
- Olive oil
Instructions
Dry-fry the pine nuts over a medium heat, tossing them from time to time and watching them like a heron to ensure they don’t burn. Put them on a plate to cool. They’ll keep for a while in a sealed container once toasted and you need only a handful for this recipe: I toast the whole packet and save some for another recipe.
Thinly slice the mushrooms, peeled shallots, and garlic. Chop the chives finely.
Put some water in a saucepan with a pinch of salt and heat it up, ready for the gnocchi.
In a large frying pan over a medium heat, warm a good splash of olive oil. Fry the shallots and garlic for a minute or two to soften them, but don’t let them brown. Add the mushrooms and another splash of olive oil, stir gently, and fry. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the mushrooms al dente.
Meanwhile, add the gnocchi to the boiling water, cook for a couple of minutes (they’re done when they’re floating — it’s fast), and drain them.
Turn the frying pan heat right down. Add the gnocchi to the ingredients in the frying pan and mix gently, taking care not to damage the mushrooms. Add a generous amount of cream (and crème fraîche if you’re using it) to make a creamy sauce. Add a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast, salt, a good drizzle of truffle oil, and a healthy slug of brandy. Immediately after adding the brandy, stir gently, to avoid the cream curdling.
Adjust the salt, truffle oil, nutritional yeast and brandy to taste. This dish can handle a good dose of salt, and is better for it.
Spoon into warmed bowls and garnish with a handful of pine nuts and the chopped chives.