Mushroom and Butterbean Gnocchi Recipe
Try this super simple vegetarian gnocchi recipe to kickstart your Winter!
A simple, yet delicious winter warmer
As the nights start drawing in, nothing beats a bowl of delicious hearty gnocchi. This recipe can be easily adapted to be vegan or simplified by buying gnocchi instead of making it from scratch.
Ingredients
Serves 2
• 4 medium Maris Piper potatoes
• Salt and pepper for seasoning
• 1 egg
• 190g plain or pasta flour
• 5.5g Dijon Mustard
• 150g Portobello mushrooms
• 160g Chestnut mushrooms
• 5g chives
• 15ml Chinese rice wine
• 80g baby leaf spinach
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 150ml veg stock
• Olive oil
1. Add the potatoes to a large pot of cool salted water. Bring the water to a boil and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce a potato. Drain the potatoes and set aside until cool enough to handle but still warm.
2. Whilst the potatoes are boiling, preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C (fan)/ gas 6 and boil half a kettle.
3. Add the portobello mushrooms to a tray and drizzle over the soy sauce. Pop the tray in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked through.
4. Whilst the mushrooms are cooking, peel and roughly chop the garlic. Drain and rinse the butterbeans. Dissolve the vegetable stock mix in 150ml boiled water.
5. Heat a large, wide-based pan with 1/2 tbsp olive oil over a high heat. Once hot, add half the drained butterbeans and the chopped garlic with a pinch of salt and cook for 2-3 min or until the garlic has softened.
6. Once softened, transfer the butterbeans and garlic to a blender, reserving the pan. Add the veg stock and a pinch of salt and pepper and blitz until smooth – this is your ‘creamy’ sauce. Wash the spinach, then pat it dry with kitchen paper.
7. Drain the potatoes and using a peeler or your fingers, remove the skin from the potatoes. In a medium bowl, mash the potatoes until all lumps are gone. Add the salt and pepper and mix well. Make a well in the centre of the potatoes and crack an egg into it. Whisk the eggs briefly. Then, using your hands, gently mix it into the potatoes until evenly distributed.
8. Put 120g of flour onto a clean surface and turn out the potato dough onto it, keeping the remaining flour nearby in case you need it. Working quickly and carefully, knead the dough, only incorporating as much flour as you need along the way until the dough loses stickiness and becomes more solid. Slice the dough into 4 parts. Roll out 1 part into a long rope, about 1 inch wide, cutting in half and working with 1 half at a time if the rope is becoming too long. Slice the rope into ½-inch squares and set aside on a lightly floured surface. Repeat with the remaining dough.
9. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the gnocchi in batches, stirring gently once or twice to ensure they are not sticking. Boil until they float to the surface; after another 15-30 seconds in the water, remove and place to one side.
Tip – add a teaspoon of olive oil to the water to stop them from sticking!
10. Return the pan to a high heat with 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Once hot, tear the chestnut mushrooms straight into the pan and cook for 4-5 min or until starting to brown. Add the remaining butterbeans and the gnocchi and cook for a further 5-6 min or until everything is starting to crisp.
11. Add the Chinese rice wine and cook for 1 min. Add the spinach, ‘creamy’ sauce and Dijon mustard and cook for a further 2-3 min or until the spinach has wilted and the sauce has thickened. Season to taste, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
Tip – Add a splash more water if your sauce is looking a little dry!
12. Chop the chives finely. Serve the ‘creamy’ mushroom gnocchi in bowls and top with a roasted portobello mushroom. Garnish with the chopped chives, a grind of black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil or balsamic vinegar.
Enjoy!
