Gnocchi Recipe with Asparagus, Peppers and Mascarpone Cheese Sauce
"Yayy, Gnocchi! They are easy to make, now you know! Serve it with mascarpone cheese sauce, asparagus, herbs and some mushrooms for an utterly scrumptious meal. This is not to say that you cannot buy ready made supermarket ones. There are some good ones out there, you just have to look out for it. So, if you’d like to cut some corners or you simply don’t fancy making them at home of course there are always alternatives. We all do cut corners at times, right? Time is not always on our side in fact this is never on my side and it’s all a ridiculous rush- rush-rush!"
Notes* To decrease the time of cooking the potatoes you can microwave them (if you’re using one) for about 7-9 minutes or so, again depending on the size of the potatoes and the power you use.
I cannot help much with the microwave timing as I don’t use one.
I microwave a potato at work occasionally for either myself or my colleagues so, I know it’s possible, lol.
The time gets decreased significantly by doing this instead of baking.
There is a compromise on the taste though as baked potato does not taste the same with microwaved one. I love the baked potato taste, it’s just the best if you do not want to compromise on the taste.
Serves4 People
Preparation Time20 min
Cooking Time1 hr 20 min
Ingredients
- To make the gnocchi:100 g flour keep 1 tbsp for dusting
- 350 g white potatoes Russet potatoes
- 100 g sweet potato
- 1 egg medium-large
- 1 red pepper
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Paprika powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper a generous pinch
- For the sauce:3 tbsp Mascarpone cheese
Instruction
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To make the gnocchi: Wash, prick with a fork and bake the potatoes at 200°C or 400°F for about 40-45 minutes to an hour, depending on the potatoes sizes. They need to be nice and tender. You may also boil them – just you would do fora good potato mash.
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The sweet potato will bake quicker so keep an eye on that. *
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While the potatoes bake, place a pan on the stove on medium fire add a drizzle of oil and fry the pepper along with the turmeric and paprika powder. Blend this and set aside. * This is optional for extra flavour and colour.
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When the potatoes are ready and baked, take out of the oven and cut into two. It helps with cooling as well as scooping the flesh out. Scoop out the potatoes flesh into a bowl and mash. Add the egg, salt, pepper, the blended pepper and most of the flour. Knead into a dough hopefully that’s not too sticky. If it is, add a little more flour as you go along.
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Cut the dough and roll into long ropes (approx 1 cm thick in diameter). Cut into 1/2inch (approx 13 pieces). Dust them with flour and then shake any excess off. You may use a gnocchi board to make them look like the real ones with that nice ridges. I didn’t. I like them crazy shapes.
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Cook them into small batches 10-12 at once in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. You will know they’re ready when they start floating. Remove and set aside. Continue doing this until they’re all done. Place them in a colander so they drain of any excess water.
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To make the sauce. 1. Place a pan on medium fire, add the chopped garlic.
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Add tomato sauce, 1 pinch salt and allow to simmer for about 5 min.
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Add the Italian herbs and the mascarpone cheese. Reduce the sauce for a further 5 min on low fire.
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To assemble the dish: 1. Place a pan over medium fire, add 1 tbsp butter. Add the sliced mushrooms. Cook for 1-2 minutes tossing occasionally.
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Add the shredded peppers and cook for 2 more minutes, followed by the chopped asparagus and the well drained gnocchis. Give it all a good old toss again and a shimmy. This should be for a good 2 minutes.
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Add the mascarpone sauce and the gnocchi, toss a couple of times and… voilà! You’ve got a wonderful dish.
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Serve with a nice sprinkle of fresh parsley or any herb you may like.