Chestnut gnocchi recipe
This divinely tasty gnocchi recipe was created by Fred Foster, author of new cookbook Turnips' Edible Almanac, and founder of Turnips, the much-loved fruit and vegetable wholesale and retail company based in London's Borough Market.
Made from scratch, these flavourful potato dumplings are guaranteed to impress dinner guests – and there are two different sauces to choose from.
Fred says: "Adding chestnut flour to these potato gnocchi makes them super-tasty. You can serve them simply with the Parmesan cream sauce or, for a more substantial meal, with roasted butternut squash and a butternut squash sauce. Both options are here."
Please note: You can opt to buy your chestnut flour ready-made, or make your own following the steps below. If you decide to make your own, it can take up to two days to dehydrate the chestnuts, so make sure you allow plenty of time.
Ingredients
- 200 g fine table salt
- 4 Agria potatoes, pricked all over
- 12 sweet chestnuts
- 30 g Parmesan, grated, plus extra to season the squash and to serve
- 1 egg
- 60 g chestnut flour (to make your own chestnut flour, follow the steps below)
- 40 g 00 flour, plus extra for rolling out
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 handful of micro chickweed, to garnish (optional)
- 7.1 oz fine table salt
- 4 Agria potatoes, pricked all over
- 12 sweet chestnuts
- 1.1 oz Parmesan, grated, plus extra to season the squash and to serve
- 1 egg
- 2.1 oz chestnut flour (to make your own chestnut flour, follow the steps below)
- 1.4 oz 00 flour, plus extra for rolling out
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 handful of micro chickweed, to garnish (optional)
- 7.1 oz fine table salt
- 4 Agria potatoes, pricked all over
- 12 sweet chestnuts
- 1.1 oz Parmesan, grated, plus extra to season the squash and to serve
- 1 egg
- 2.1 oz chestnut flour (to make your own chestnut flour, follow the steps below)
- 1.4 oz 00 flour, plus extra for rolling out
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 handful of micro chickweed, to garnish (optional)
- 100 ml vegetable stock
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 150 ml double (heavy) cream
- 60 g Parmesan, grated
- 40 g cold butter, diced
- 3.5 fl oz vegetable stock
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 5.3 fl oz double (heavy) cream
- 2.1 oz Parmesan, grated
- 1.4 oz cold butter, diced
- 0.4 cup vegetable stock
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 0.6 cup double (heavy) cream
- 2.1 oz Parmesan, grated
- 1.4 oz cold butter, diced
- 1 butternut squash, peeled and deseeded
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
- 50 ml double (heavy) cream
- 1 banana shallot, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 butternut squash, peeled and deseeded
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
- 1.8 fl oz double (heavy) cream
- 1 banana shallot, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 butternut squash, peeled and deseeded
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
- 0.2 cup double (heavy) cream
- 1 banana shallot, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 kg sweet chestnuts
- 4.4 lbs sweet chestnuts
- 4.4 lbs sweet chestnuts
Details
- Cuisine: Italian-inspired
- Recipe Type: Gnocchi
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 30 mins
- Cooking Time: 90 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6. Scatter the salt onto a small baking tray and place the potatoes on top (this will help to draw out water from the potatoes as they bake). Bake the potatoes on the top shelf for 45-60 minutes, or until they are completely soft inside.
- While the potatoes are baking, score the chestnuts and roast them in the oven for about 25 minutes, until they are soft and split open. When they are cool enough to handle, peel and crumble them. Set them aside.
- If you are using the squash, cut the top part into chunky dice and the bottom part into 1cm (1/2in) cubes. Toss the larger pieces with 1 tbsp of the oil. Add the thyme, season with salt and pepper and roast the pieces in a baking tray on a shelf beneath the potatoes for 30 minutes, until tender. Keep warm. Tip the smaller pieces into a saucepan with the shallot and garlic and the remaining oil. Sweat over a low heat for 10 minutes until very soft. Add the cream and heat gently for 2 minutes, then blitz it to a smooth sauce. Season with Parmesan and reheat before serving (in place of the Parmesan cream sauce).
- Scoop the cooked potato flesh into a fine-mesh sieve and push it through into a bowl. Add the egg, both flours and the 30g (1oz) of Parmesan and combine, but don’t overwork. On a floured surface, roll the mixture into a long 'rope' as thick as your thumb, then cut it into 1.5cm (5/8in) pieces.
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Boil the gnocchi for about 2 minutes, until they float to the surface. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked gnocchi into a bowl of iced water to cool and firm up. Drain, then heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the gnocchi and pan-fry until golden. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
- To make the Parmesan cream sauce, using the gnocchi pan, pour in the stock, add the garlic and thyme and bring to the boil, then reduce by half. Add the cream, bring to the boil and reduce by a third. Remove the thyme sprig, add the Parmesan and stir over a low heat. Gradually add the butter, stirring until smooth and emulsified. Season to taste.
- Spoon your chosen sauce into bowls and top with the gnocchi (and roasted squash, if using). Scatter with the chestnuts and extra Parmesan and garnish with micro chickweed, if you like.
To make the chestnut flour
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6. Using a small, sharp knife, score a cross on the rounded side of each chestnut. Don’t be tempted to skip this step otherwise the nuts can (and will) explode in the oven. Arrange the chestnuts in a large baking tray in a single layer and bake them for about 25 minutes, until they split open.
- Remove the chestnuts from the oven and leave them in the tray for a few minutes until they are cool enough to handle. Then, peel the nuts and throw away the skins. If they cool too much and harden so that they are difficult to peel, pop the nuts into the microwave for a few seconds and try again. Roughly chop the peeled chestnuts, then set about drying them. This is easiest if you have a dehydrator, taking about 2 days. Failing that, finely chop the nuts, tip them onto a baking tray and pop them into the oven on its lowest setting for 6-8 hours.
- Tip the dried nuts into a food processor and blitz them until they are very finely ground. Sift the ground nuts to remove any large pieces and whizz for a second time, repeating until you have created some top level flour.
Recipe extracted from Turnips' Edible Almanac by Fred Foster (DK, £27). Photography by Matt Russell.
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